


gardenia

by timelessidyll



Series: time waits for no one (except when it stops for us) [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood, Character Death, Gore, Implied JohnTen, Implied dojae, M/M, Original Character(s), Swearing, Violence, idk how graphic it is so the "graphic violence" tag is just to be safe, lots of descriptions of scent, mentioned luwoo, platonic jaemin/taeil (minil), son of a ceo taeyong, vampire taeil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-18 16:14:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14856006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timelessidyll/pseuds/timelessidyll
Summary: Taeil never expected to be so enamored with a human's scent, nor did he expect to fall in love with the human himself. He didn't expect to find someone he'd lost, and he certainly hadn't expected nearly lose some of those closest to him.





	gardenia

**Author's Note:**

> WOW ok so this was only supposed to be a short oneshot to get my mind moving but....now there's this. i'm planning on making this a series, so perhaps you'll want to stay tuned in for that!  
> some notes about each vampire's house:  
> chittaphon, johnny, and yuta do not have houses.  
> taeil's house consists on jaemin, jisung, and dongyoung.  
> yoonoh's house consists of mark, jeno, and jungwoo.  
> kun's house consists of renjun and xuxi.  
> sicheng's house consists of chenle.  
> taeyong and donghyuck are humans.

The streets of Seoul at night weren’t exactly quiet. Granted, they were quieter than in the day, so Taeil supposed he couldn’t be complaining that much. And if he hated the city so badly, he wouldn’t have chosen to live near it for almost fifty years now – and counting. So really, he was just being overdramatic, something that Johnny had spent the last thousand years trying to fix. It clearly hadn’t worked.

 

So as usual, Taeil was walking down the Seoul streets, calmly avoiding adrenaline-high mortals as they stumbled out of clubs. No one tried to bother the small man who crossed their paths, and he was just fine with that. He preferred to be left to his own devices, one of the many reasons he chose to stay in around mortals; every long-lived vampire knew each other, and Taeil didn’t need them nagging at his life. Mortals were too busy poisoning themselves to worry too much about the others around them.

 

And since Taeil was so intent on being left alone, he surprised himself when a turn of events resulted in him actually _helping_ someone.

 

* * *

 

Taeyong should’ve been used to it by now. He couldn’t count how many times he’d ended up in this exact same situation, not even if he used all his fingers and toes. The situation being shoved violently against the nearest wall and used as a feeding bag.

 

He snarled, trying to shake off the hands that gripped his wrists so that he would at least stand a chance of defending himself.  ‘Why are vampires so strong,’ he thought to himself angrily, finally freeing one wrist by kneeing the vampire in the gut. Unfortunately for him, his singular freed wrist wasn’t of much use, and before he knew it, he was being forced against the wall even more roughly. He could feel the rough bricks digging into his back through the suit jacket, and he could hear Donghyuck snickering at him for getting another set of bruises. Wonderful. He ran through a list of strategies, trying to figure out what would be more efficient to do, when suddenly the pressure on his wrists was gone. He blinked wildly as he tried to understand what had happened.

 

There was another man in the alley with them, and he was currently holding the vampire that had attacked Taeyong by the neck. The vampire was struggling in the grip the man had on him, trying to claw at the hands around his throat, but the man didn’t show anything beyond bored disinterest as he stared at the vampire in his hands.

 

“The amount of disgust I have for your sire is boundless,” the man said, narrowing his eyes. The vampire’s struggles become more desperate, and the man tightened his grip. “As for you, newborn, I can’t say I’m surprised. Take my mercy and leave quietly, else I can’t guarantee your safety.” Then, and this is when Taeyong feels true fear fill him, the man’s eyes began to glow, a molten gold that almost seemed to drip down his face. He tossed aside the vampire like one would throw a ragdoll, and the vampire scurried way, not without his wounded and tattered pride. The man – he’s not a man, Taeyong screamed internally to himself – turned to him then, and this time Taeyong willingly pushed himself into the wall. He trembled unwillingly, waiting to see what the man would do.

 

He smiled as if amused, the gold of his eyes fading. “You smell terrified.” Taeyong’s expression of fear abated to one of bewilderment.

 

“What do I mean I smell terrified? he asked, emphasizing his point of confusion. The man chuckled and walked closer. When he saw Taeyong stiffen, however, he stopped.

 

“You reek of fear,” he said, scrunching his nose a little and tilting his head to the side. “There’s no need for all of that. As for how I can smell your fear, that’s something all of my kind can do.” The man – no, creature, Taeyong corrected himself – tilted his head again, this time to the other side. “I’m surprised you held your own against a vampire.” Taeyong squinted at the other.

 

“I’m going to take a wild guess, so correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re a vampire as well, aren’t you?” The creature snorted.

 

“I’m glad your intelligence hasn’t left you.” Suddenly, his eyebrows pinched together and he sniffed the air like he’d smelled something surprising. He looked straight at Taeyong, and he shivered slightly from the intensity of the gaze directed at him. “I see,” he heard the vampire mumble under his breath, so quietly that if it hadn’t been for the quietness of the alley, Taeyong wouldn’t have heard him. “Is there any place nearby where you can stay?” he asked, louder this time. Taeyong lifted an eyebrow, a silent question.

 

“No, I don’t. I was just leaving the corporate building to go home.” The vampire nodded, satisfied.

 

“I’ll escort you there.” This time, Taeyong’s expression warped into bafflement.

 

“What –,” the vampire cut him off.

 

“I’m asking you to trust me a little. If I wanted to use you, I’m sure you can tell that I could’ve easily done so.” Taeyong hesitated, because he knew that much was true. He, in his torn suit jacket and dusty white dress shirt, wouldn’t stand a chance against whoever this vampire was. He’d watched him throw another vampire across an alley; who would be foolish enough to dare to go against him? “Great, now that we’ve come to an understanding,” he turned around, expectantly glancing at Taeyong to follow him, “I’ll take you there. I’ll call my driver.”

 

Taeyong didn’t have much of a choice, and he knew his father would kill him for coming home in the state he was in.

 

“Actually, I shouldn’t be going home in this state.” The vampire turned around, surprise making his eyebrows rise. His lips turned up in a sort of controlled amusement.

 

“I suppose you can’t. Alright, I’ll let you freshen up at my own place.”

 

* * *

 

Johnny was going to kill him, Taeil thought as he stared out the window and tried to keep himself from smelling the sweet scent the mortal gave off. Which reminded him – he didn’t know the name of the person he had saved. Which reminded him – why did he try to save him in the first place? There shouldn’t have been any reason that he felt the need to save this one mortal. He’d never had a reason to, not in the 4,000 years he’d been alive. Maybe Yoonoh could help him, he thought. The flowery scent registered in his mind again.

 

“I don’t mean to sound rude,” the mortal spoke, shifting minutely out of nervous habit. Taeil suspected he didn’t even know he was doing it. “But what is your name?”

 

“Moon Taeil, although you might hear others call me Kim Jaesung.” He didn’t have to turn towards Taeyong to know he was trying to piece together the meaning behind his sentence. “It would be strange if the same Moon Taeil were to be alive for more than two generations, hm? Especially in an age when one’s perceived identity is the most controversial part of their person.”

 

“Ah,” was the only response he was given. Silence settled in between them once again.

 

“My name is Lee Taeyong, Taeil-ssi.” The rest of the ride passed quietly, but Taeil couldn’t help but feel the smallest bit of satisfaction that Taeyong had given him that small bit of information. The sights of Seoul faded as the car neared the outskirts of the city, passing into a more suburban area. Here, the lights were less abundant and houses were further in between, which provided Taeil the extra protection he needed to keep his life private. He opened the divider between the backseat and the front.

 

“Jisung-ah, is Sicheng-ah home?”

 

“Sorry Taeil-hyung, I haven’t heard from Kun-hyung. However, I think you’ll want to know that Johnny-hyung is waiting for you.” Taeil cursed softly under his breath.

 

“Thank you, Jisung-ah. And Dongyoung-ah is with Yoonoh-ah in Ulsan, correct?” He accepts the nod of confirmation that Jisung gives him and closes the divider. When he sat back down, he saw Taeyong frowning.

 

“Is he another vampire?” he asked, and Taeil smelled his fear get a little stronger despite his obvious attempts to appear calm.

 

“Everyone who works at my house is a vampire, Taeyong-ssi.” He grinned. “But don’t worry, we’re all much more civilized than the ones you must have encountered.

 

The car pulled up in front of Taeil’s current house, somewhere in between Incheon and Seoul, and this time he heard Taeyong’s surprise before he smelled it. He scrunched his nose, annoyed by how sensitive it was being to the fluctuations in Taeyong’s scent. Objectively, he could understand why Taeyong was surprised by the modern exterior, but this surprise was a little deeper than that. He couldn’t figure out the slackness of Taeyong’s expression.

 

“Welcome, I suppose,” he gestured to his estate. Turning to Jisung, he said, “You can leave the car here. Taeyong-ssi still needs to go home after changing his attire.” Taeil pointedly ignored the way Jisung looked at him in surprise and turned to lead Taeyong to his house. The exterior was a mixture of a more traditional mansion and the sleeker, glassy style that people were so in love with. He couldn’t say he enjoyed the constant reminder that he was living on borrowed time, but it served its aesthetic purpose. Besides, Chittaphon always got his way with Johnny, and Taeil would never deny Johnny anything. The double doors opened before them, and Taeil prepared himself for the oncoming lecture from an angry and upset Johnny.

 

“How many times have I told you, Taeil, to let one of us know that you’re leaving?” he hissed, “Do you even remember the disaster in France? Eric had to send out –,” Johnny paused his tirade to ask a question over his shoulder. “How many vampires did he have to send out, Ten?” An answering fifty had Johnny nodding and turning around to continue. “Fifty vampires to find you! I don’t care if you’ve been around for 4,000 years, you can’t disappear with no reason!” Johnny took in a breath to continue when his eyes finally focused on Taeyong standing uncomfortably next to Taeil. His expression relaxes into one of blank confusion. “He’s not a vampire.”

 

“Good job, Johnny,” Taeil bit out, “you finally put your brain to some use. Could we come in?” Johnny wordlessly stepped aside to let them in, staring intently at Taeyong, no doubt trying to figure out why there was a mortal with him. ‘Let him wonder,’ he thought to himself, feeling the slightest bit petty, ‘he doesn’t need to know that bad.’ Sitting on the couch and sipping tea was Chittaphon, who offered a lazy wave to Taeil when they entered the living room. He glanced up and saw Jaemin leaning on the railing, and the younger’s infectious smile made Taeil smile too. He waved him down, and Jaemin enthusiastically ran down the stairs to meet him.

 

“Taeil-hyung!” Taeil opened his arms to receive the hug Jaemin gave him. He chuckled, holding him as long as could until he had to tell him about Taeyong.

 

“Jaemin-ah, could you help Taeyong-ssi find some new clothes? He needs to get cleaned up, but I need to discuss some things with Johnny.”

 

“Of course I can, Taeil-hyung!” Jaemin chirped, and Taeil felt such fond affection for the younger in that moment that he couldn’t help but nuzzle Jaemin’s nose. Jaemin squealed and struggled to get away from Taeil, his smile growing wider. Taeil’s strength kept Jaemin in his arms until he’d decided he’d had enough and let go of the younger vampire. He giggled and ducked out of Taeil’s arms, bouncing a little ways away before remembering he had to lead Taeyong around the house. “Come with me, Taeyong-ssi!” Taeyong hesitantly followed Jaemin away from Taeil, and he watched them for a moment before his face fell and he turned to Johnny and Chittaphon.

 

“There’s a rogue vampire.” Immediately, Chittaphon and Johnny were laser-focused on Taeil, waiting for him to explain. “I found out when I saved that mortal. Someone is being careless, and I’m ready to tear their limbs off,” he seethed, struggling to keep his anger at bay.

 

“Did you capture the vampire?” Johnny asked, taking a seat on the couch next to Chittaphon while Taeil paced.

 

“Of course I haven’t captured the vampire, Johnny. I had to take care of the child it created, and since it had attacked a mortal, I had to let it have mercy. I couldn’t have very well torn it apart then and there.” Johnny fell back into silence to contemplate this, and Chittaphon took his place in the conversation.

 

“So explain why you brought the mortal to begin with. Why did you feel the need to save him?”

 

“At first, it was simply the fact that a rogue’s child was attacking him, but after I took care of that, I noticed something else. When he walked in, did either of you smell anything strange?”

 

“The air got sweeter,” Johnny offered, staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully. “What did you think, Ten?”

 

“I thought it was the chamomile in my tea.”

 

“I can’t believe the both of you are this vapid, it’s no wonder you deserve each other. It was his blood.” Taeil resisted the urge to scream when both of them looked at him oddly. “The mortal’s blood, it’s too sweet. I can smell it even from here.” Understanding and recognition dawn on both Johnny and Chittaphon, and they whip their heads in the direction of where Taeyong had gone.

 

“That,” Johnny trails off, “is decidedly not good. For any of us.”

 

“We’ll have to keep him under supervision,” Chittaphon added. “What did you say his name was?”

 

“It’s Lee Taeyong,” Taeil answered, focusing his thoughts on figuring out how to take care of the problems at hand. He’d have to talk to the Council about the rogue issue, but Taeyong’s problem would have to be dealt with personally.

 

“Uh, Taeil?” Johnny called. He glanced over at where Johnny was sitting with his tablet. “You’re absolutely sure that his name is Lee Taeyong, right? Because that makes our job a little more difficult.” He turned the tablet for Taeil to see, and his immediate response was to groan in frustration. He heard Jaemin’s voice returning from upstairs, so he turned the screen back to face Johnny and watched Jaemin lead Taeyong back to the ground floor, dressed in significantly cleaner clothes.

 

He smiled tightly at Lee Taeyong, son of the CEO of Lee Tech and heir to the company. Because his job had just become that much more difficult.

 

* * *

 

Taeyong didn’t have anything against Jaemin, really. He had a bright and bubbly personality, and that should have been calming, but being alone with any vampire made him feel uneasy. The fact that there were three others as well, besides Taeil, made him feel like a piece of meat. As a result, every conversation with him was stunted and awkward, despite Jaemin’s best efforts to engage Taeyong in conversation. And then he had to sit in a car with one and provide him with directions to get to his house. Alone. For the whole time it took for them to return to Seoul. To say that he felt an immeasurable relief when he was able to leave the vampire and get inside his own house would not be an exaggeration.

 

Except the moment he was inside, he saw his father sitting at the dining table waiting for him. A new fear coiled in his gut, and he resisted the need to flee from whatever confrontation was to come. He walked over to the chair on the opposite side of the dining table, praying to whatever god existed that he wasn’t showing any obvious signs of nervousness, and sat down. He waited for his father to speak.

 

“Why are back so late, hm?” Taeyong expected this, but it didn’t mean he was prepared to answer. He stared at the table top in front of his father.

 

“I apologize, abeoji. I was held up after leaving the building.” He hoped his father wouldn’t notice the difference in his suit. His father hummed.

 

“Why were you late in leaving the building? It’s not proper for a CEO to be in the building later than his employees.” Taeyong had to bit his tongue to stop himself from arguing that he wasn’t yet the CEO.

 

“I apologize,” he repeated, “I will be sure to follow the proper actions required.” He hoped that would be enough to satisfy him. He breathed more easily when his father stood up from the table.

 

“Be sure that it doesn’t.” He waited until his father’s footsteps had disappeared up the stairs before allowing himself to relax, if just the tiniest bit. He wasn’t looking to the second interrogation he would face with Donghyuck, especially since his younger brother wouldn’t be as lenient with his explanations. When he fell back against the chair, he was reminded of the emerging bruises on his back, and he let out a small hiss of pain when one of them came in contact with an outjutting piece of the chair. Donghyuck really wouldn’t let him live once he found out.

 

The moment he opened the door to his room on the third floor, he saw Donghyuck sitting in the chair by the window, casually reading a novel while he waited. Taeyong narrowed his eyes when he saw the cover.

 

“Are you reading a book about the multiverse theory?” he asked in an incredulous tone, shutting the door behind him. Donghyuck didn’t even glance up, simply turning the page to continue reading as he spoke.

 

“Stop sounding so surprised when I do something intellectual, hyung. The fact that I’m not a CEO in training doesn’t disregard my intelligence.”

 

Taeyong snorted, a sense of bitterness underlying his tone. “You say that is if once you hadn’t asked multiple times if water is wet, and then proceeded to argue with me when I answered no.” Donghyuck rolls his eyes and shuts the book with a soft thump.

 

“That’s because I enjoy the chaos that comes with it. Now, where have you been? I’m expecting something worth listening to.”

 

“I got jumped again. Nearly got yelled at by abeoji again. All in a day’s work, you know?” Taeyong answered casually, heading over to his closet to search for more comfortable clothes. Donghyuck was unimpressed.

 

“If you got jumped again, why is your suit so clean?” he accused, making Taeyong freeze for a moment. It was just long enough for his brother to realize he’d uncovered something. “Ah! Come on hyung, you thought I wasn’t familiar with your mysophobia? The moment you get back, the first thing you do is sprint to find different clothes to change into, right before washing the suit like it’s personally offended you by having the nerve to get dirty.” Taeyong glared at Donghyuck, but he couldn’t say he was wrong.

 

“Fine,” he ground, “but let me change out of this suit.” Donghyuck settled back into the chair, satisfied with what he’d done. When he came out, Donghyuck was laying on his bed instead, and he merely rolled his eyes and got in next to him.

 

“I’m surprised you’ve never asked why I’m always getting jumped. Aren’t you worried that I’m in some sort of gang?” He side-eyed Donghyuck and was met with another eye roll.

 

“Hyung, you apologize to walls for bumping into them. You being in a gang is the furthest thing from my mind. Are you going to tell me what’s going on yet?”

 

“Aish, be more respectful,” he admonished, smacking Donghyuck’s head lightly. “I put up with too much from you. As for why I keep getting jumped, you know the rumors about vampires, right?” He stopped to see if Donghyuck was following and continued when he got a nod of understanding. “I keep getting jumped by vampires.”

 

“Hilarious, hyung. That was an amazing build up.” Taeyong twisted to look at Donghyuck, his expression quickly falling into one of bafflement and irritation when he saw that his brother really believed he was lying.

 

“I can’t believe you would badger me this much to tell you what happened and then not trust that I’m telling the truth,” he deadpanned, staring his brother straight in the eye as understanding slowly dawned on him.

 

“Wait. Hyung, you’re serious about this?”

 

“Well, yeah, I don’t really enjoy being used like a cow, you know.”

 

Donghyuck stared at him wide-eyed and slack-mouthed from shock. When he finally gathered himself again, his outburst caught Taeyong off guard. “Why didn’t you say something earlier, hyung! What if you’d died, oh my god, what if abeoji would be forced to choose me to become the CEO instead?” Donghyuck wailed, and Taeyong glared at him. Partly to make him get quieter and partly because he was beginning to truly doubt his priorities. “Stop looking at me like that! It’s a valid fear.” Taeyong didn’t want to give him the satisfaction that he had a point. Instead, he laid back down with a huff and waited for Donghyuck to finish his rant of what-ifs.

 

“Are you done?” he asks when there’s a lull in Donghyuck’s voice.

 

“Yeah, keep going.”

 

“Well, obviously I’ve gotten better at getting myself out of those situations, but this one was stronger than the others.” Taeyong frowned as he tried to remember how it had happened. “I was pressed against the wall one moment, and the next, there was another vampire in the alley with us. He took care of the one pinning me, and then he offered to let me freshen up at his place.”

 

“Those minutes must have felt like some of the longest in your life,” Donghyuck comments.

 

“Oddly enough, I was more concerned about the fact that I was stuck in a car with two vampires. And when we got to his house, there were even more vampires, and I had to follow one around until I’d changed and found a suit that fit me. I can tell you right now, Hyuckie, that there is nothing more terrifying than being surrounded by the same kind of people that keep trying to suck the life out of you.”

 

“Tell me about the first vampire. Why did he bother saving your flat ass?”

 

“Can you stop bringing my ass into everything? I don’t know what you want to know, but he was pretty quiet, and he seemed like he knew a lot. He must have been pretty old.”

 

“Is it true that they’re always cold?”

 

Taeyong stared up at the ceiling in defeat. “Do you even care that I might have almost died? And all the ones that have attacked me have been cold, at the very least.”

 

“No, because you didn’t and you’re obviously not torn up over it, and damn –,”

 

“Language!”

 

“– that’s so cool.”

 

“I guess.” He turned to stare out the window. Now that he thought harder about it, the terror from seeing those golden eyes was coming back to him, and even now he felt cold just thinking about them. The black expanse of the sky reminded him of the limitless depths of Taeil’s eyes. Slowly, he got lost in his own thoughts, and he barely noticed the dip of his bed when Donghyuck got up or his soft words.

 

“Good night, hyung.” Donghyuck padded lightly out of the room, making sure he turned the light off before he left.

 

* * *

 

The heels of Taeil’s shoes were loud on the marble floors of the hall as he made his way to the conference room. He swept some stray strands of hair back and smoothly opened the door. A dark circular table was in the center of the gray room, setting a somber mood for the meeting. Taeil settled in the seat facing the door, at what could be considered the head of the table. He steepled his hands and waited for the next person.

 

The second time the door opened, Lalisa and Kun were the two that entered. Lakshmi came soon after, taking her seat to the right of Lalisa. Slowly, the room filled up in silence; Yuta, Khunbish, Chantha, and Dina took their seats. All eight were present.

 

“I hate explaining myself,” Taeil started, “so I’ll immediately start with the reason behind this meeting. My house has come across a rogue vampire, one that has reportedly been killing multiple people as there has been a rise in the number of new vampires in the Seoul area. This is a relatively new development and has only recently come to our attention when we encountered a victim in the process of being attacked. Have there been instances of this with anyone else?”

 

“We’ve been having more difficulty with new vampires in Delhi, but we haven’t found evidence of a rogue,” Lakshmi offered, tilting her head to allow her curls to fall over her shoulders. “I’ll be sure to look into that when I get back.”

 

“Lisa, how are things in Bangkok?” Taeil asked.

 

“We actually haven’t had trouble with rogues for a few years now. I’ll be on higher alert when I go back, but for now, I have nothing to contribute.”

 

“Sicheng was actually just in Shanghai with me for that reason,” Kun interjected, leaning forward. “We recently had two rogues killing people and turning them at random, and it started a domino effect throughout the city. I had to ask him to bring Renjun and Xuxi with him.”

 

Taeil frowned. “Sicheng didn’t tell me about this. Is he safe?”

 

“Yes, he’s fine, Taeil. You really are like his father,” Kun joked, stirring a few others to join in on the laughter.

 

“Haha, you’re hilarious, Kun-ah,” he said while rolling his eyes, a smile stretching across his face to counter his words.

 

“I try my best. Yuta, Dina, how are things going for you two?”

 

“Nothing’s changed for us,” Yuta drawled. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair casually. “We’ve always been good about handling new vampires.”

 

“We’ve never even had a rogue vampire,” Dina shrugged. She didn’t seem all that bothered by the ongoings of the meeting. “Chantha, how is everything?”

 

“Hm, everything’s been suspiciously calm. We typically have a rise in new vampires around now, but we haven’t had that yet. The only way to find out if there’s something more serious going on is to wait it out.” Khunbish spoke up afterward.

 

“I have to agree with Yuta. We haven’t had any major trouble, just the occasional rogue who doesn’t understand the proper customs.” Taeil nodded along, taking mental notes of each Elder’s situation.

 

“So we all seem to have a good handle on our situations. Good. Everyone keep a lookout for anything suspicious, because the last thing we would want is for too many rogues to accumulate. You’re all dismissed.” Taeil waited until everyone except Kun and Yuta had filed out the door, and then he relaxed into his chair. “I hate being the head of the Council.”

 

Yuta grinned wryly. “At the same time, the last person you would trust the position to is one of us.”

 

“That’s not true,” he protested weakly, “I would trust Lakshmi to lead you guys.” Kun faked a gasp and placed a hand on the left side of his chest in mock shock.

 

“You wound me, Taeil-gē,” he cried, pretending to cry.

 

“I question what Sicheng sees in you,” he deadpans, turning his head back to face Yuta. “So what brings you to stay and talk with this old man?”

 

“Oh, so I can’t talk to one of my oldest friends for no reason?”

 

“Not if it comes from you,” Taeil shot back. “So spill, what do you need?”

 

His face hardens. “Be careful, Taeil-sama. I can tell you’re holding something back, but don’t let that distract you from what you’re trying to accomplish.” Taeil looked at him with an unreadable expression, but internally he was wondering when he became so easy to read. Did Dina and Lakshmi pick up on this as well?

 

“Alright, Yuta-yah. I’ll be sure to never lose focus. Before you go,” Taeil started when he saw Yuta turning to leave. “How have you been? Are you doing alright?”

 

Yuta froze, and Taeil could tell he was weighing his words carefully. “I can’t say I’m great, but I’m doing better. I thought I had everything control when I stopped seeing him, but it turns out I was just suppressing everything. I’m getting there.”

 

“If you need me, just call, alright Yuta-yah? I won’t hesitate to help you.”

 

“Thank you. I’ll leave you be, now, Taeil-sama, Kun-san.” He waved at them before taking his leave. Taeil sighed through his nose.

 

“Give me a more thorough report of your rogue issue,” he ordered Kun, listening intently as the Elder jumps right into an explanation of how his House had initially handled the problem and how they realized that they needed more than two people to handle the different sources. That was why he called for Sicheng’s help, he said.

 

“It’s under control now?” Taeil confirmed, satisfied when Kun nodded. “That’s good. You should visit us for some time when you’ve tied up all the loose ends.”

 

“You’re sure you want all of us to visit, or just Sicheng,” Kun teased, prompting Taeil to grin mischievously at him.

 

“Well, now that you bring it up,” he trailed off, enjoying the sudden change in the tone of their conversation. He never was good at being too serious. Amusement crept into his smile when Kun almost fell off the chair from the force of his laughter. “I am serious, though. Jaemin and Jisung miss seeing Chenle and Renjun, and I haven’t seen Xuxi in a while. How has he been?”

 

“He’s gotten much better at handling his urges. It’s taken a lot for him to fight against his instincts, so I’m proud of how far he’s come.”

 

“That’s good!” Taeil replied excitedly, but his face fell when he caught sight of the time on his watch. “Oh, I have to get going, Kun-ah. Like I offered, come over soon!” he called over his shoulder as he and Kun strode out of the room together and took their separate paths. He got an answering wave before Kun disappeared around the corner. He pulled out his phone.

 

“Ten? Yeah, have you got someone keeping an eye on Taeyong? Oh, good. Yes, the meeting’s over. I’ll be back in about a half hour. Bye.”

 

* * *

 

"Seulgi-ssi, can I get a report about the stock prices sometime tomorrow?” Taeyong asked into his receiver. “Yes, you can hand it to me during the lunch break tomorrow. Just a chart and a short synthesis of the report will suffice for that. Yes, thank you. Have a good day.” He set down the phone and stretched back in his chair, trying to work out the kinks in his back without aggravating his bruises. A quick glance at the clock told him that he had another half hour before his father required him to leave. He started gathering his files and documents, sorting through what he would need to bring home to accomplish and what could be put off. His phone rang again.

 

“Hello? Hyuckie? What do you need?” He paused and listened. “I’m leaving soon, I’ll come by the studio. You just need some help with the choreo, correct? Alright, I’ll be there soon.” Taeyong closed his eyes and pressed a careful palm on top of his eyelids, making sure he didn’t ruin the light makeup he’d put on this morning. After taking a moment to pity himself and evaluate his stress, he finished putting his files away in his bag and got ready to leave. When he passed by his secretary, Minseok gave him a confused look.

 

“You’re leaving so soon, Taeyong-ssi? It’s only six, is everything okay? If you’re not feeling well, I can cancel your meetings for tomorrow and see if –,” Minseok rambled, already pulling up a calendar and clicking on tomorrow’s date.

 

“– Minseok-ssi, wait, it’s alright,” Taeyong interrupted, “I’m simply heading out early, I don’t believe I’ll be needing to cancel any meetings. You can leave now if you wish.”

 

“You’re sure you’re fine, Taeyong-ssi?” he asked, frowning.

 

“Yes, if something comes up, I will be sure to ask you to move around my schedule. Please don’t worry too much about me right now,” he assured, making sure that Minseok would follow his words before leaving the building.

 

He didn’t know why he’d decided to park his car in the back parking lot. He’d made a lot of dumb decisions that day, but that one probably took the cake. Almost like clockwork, Taeyong groaned when he got smashed into a nearby car, fully expecting the maniacal vampire that picked him up afterward. He wasn’t sure what hurt more; the aggravated bruises and cuts on his back, the bruises on his neck that he’d covered with concealer, or the soreness of his muscles from getting tossed around so often. Embarrassingly enough, that single hit was enough to throw him into shock. As the vampire lifted him up by the collar of his dress shirt, Taeyong could only smile wryly as he waited to feel the energy drain from him, much like the first few times this had happened.

 

And then he slumped back on the ground, breathing sharply when he fell on his bruises and felt some cuts reopen. He’d probably need to get stitches this time around. When he caught his breath, Taeyong looked up from the ground and saw that Johnny had already taken care of the vampire and had sent him running off. His eyes struggled to stay open, and Johnny quickly hurried over when he noticed the fluttering of Taeyong’s eyes.

 

“Come on, Taeyong-ssi, stay with me. You probably have a concussion, you can’t be falling asleep,” Johnny advised, lightly shaking Taeyong’s shoulders to make sure he didn’t lose consciousness. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner, but I need you to come with me now. I’m going to take you back to Taeil’s house. Do you have your keys?” Taeyong took a few moments to process Johnny’s request, and he sluggishly pulled his keys out once it registered in his mind what he had to do. Johnny quickly grabbed them, lifted Taeyong into his arms with a regretful wince, and tried to walk to Taeyong’s car without jostling the mortal too much. He managed to open the passenger seat door and put Taeyong inside, fastening his seatbelt before shutting the door and hurrying to the other side of the car. He pulled out his phone along the way, dialed Taeil’s number, and waited anxiously for the call to be picked up.

 

A click sounded on the line. “Johnny?”

 

“Taeil, there was another incident. Can you track down the vampire while I take Taeyong-ssi home?”

 

“Who was it, and what happened to Taeyong?” Taeil hissed, a chilling calm descending over the undertones of anger.

 

“It was someone who’s been around about a year, I think his name is Seongmin? As far as I know, he wasn’t a part of a house, but he stuck around the Enclave for a while. As for Taeyong, he has a concussion, I’m about to take him to your house.”

 

“Wait,” Taeyong said deliriously from the passenger seat, “I need to,” he paused while struggling to remember what he had to do. “I need to go visit Donghyuck. For a dance thing. I told him... I would be there.” His voice got quieter as he continued until it could barely be heard above the engine.

 

“I can’t take you to –,”

 

“– Drop him off at the house with Ten and then go to wherever Donghyuck is,” Taeil interrupted. “If it’s important enough, you can bring him back to the house as well. I’m leaving to catch Seongmin.”

 

“Alright.” The call got cut, but Johnny didn’t relax. He dialed another familiar number, glancing over at Taeyong to make sure he was still awake. “Come on, Taeyong-ssi, you can’t fall asleep.”

 

“I’m not,” he mumbled, clearly trying to make his voice sound as wakeful as possible. The dial tone played a prerecorded message, and Johnny swore under his breath.

 

“Tell me about Donghyuck-ssi,” he asked in an attempt to keep Taeyong talking.

 

A smile appeared on his face. “Hyuckie is an ass sometimes,” Taeyong muttered fondly, “but he’s a good kid.” His head started drooping, and Johnny reminded him again not to sleep. “Yeah, yeah. He’s always ready to listen to gossip. It could be about anything, he doesn’t care that much, and he’s an amazing dancer. I wouldn’t expect anything less from my brother.”

 

“What does he dance?”

 

“I taught him contemporary and concert, but he’s learned hip-hop on his own time.”

 

“Oh? You taught him?” Taeyong laughed breathlessly, wincing afterward and massaging his neck slowly.

 

“I used to dance. That was before Hansol-hyung died and abeoji made me give it up to become the CEO.” Johnny stilled. “I miss it. I can’t really dance competitively anymore, but I try to go to my old studio whenever possible.”

 

“Who was Hansol?” he asked, apprehensive that his thoughts would be confirmed.

 

“Hansol-hyung was my adopted brother. Eomma was the one to convince abeoji to adopt him, before I was born. He legally changed his name back to the one he was given at birth when he turned twenty, so he became Ji Hansol instead of Lee Hansol.” His explanation stopped abruptly as if he had just remembered something worrying. When he spoke again, he was softer, sadness present in every word. “They never found his body. He just vanished one night. I remember the day it happened, how absolutely ordinary it had been.”

 

“Taeyong-ssi, you don’t need to continue if you don’t think you can.” Johnny saw Taeil’s house and pushed the pedal a little harder. “We’re almost to the house. Tell me about your day. Before you got a thrown into a car, of course.” Taeyong started mumbling about how badly he wanted to smash his head into the table during his meetings, and Johnny would have laughed and agreed if he didn’t have more pressing concerns on his mind.

 

* * *

 

The alley was darker than Taeil thought it would be. It was only around 6:30, and the clouds were still tinted purple and orange from the setting sun, but the shadows loomed over him far more ominously than he thought necessary. He emerged from the alley and found the rundown bar he was looking for on the other side. Despite its outward appearance, the line to get inside stretched around the corner of the decaying front. New Culture was popular with the young adults and vampires alike, for no reason other than it was a novelty that was almost ritualistic to have experienced. He contemplated using the front entrance to the club, but he wasn’t in the mood to have drunkards grind on him.

 

Seongmin wasn’t good at covering his tracks. Taeil didn’t even need to use his status to find out what he needed; he asked the first vampire he came across where he could find a vampire named Seongmin, and he’d been told to come here. Apparently, Seongmin was a rather famous bartender, known for his elaborate drinks and tricks. He didn’t feel all that sorry for what he would have to do to him.

 

Taeil walked around the building to the back. As he suspected, at the end of the line, there was another bouncer guarding a smaller, more inconspicuous door. The bouncer’s eyes widened as he approached, and Taeil let his eyes flash their signature golden color to confirm his identities. Almost imperceptibly, the bouncer bowed his head and wordlessly let him inside. Just as Taeil had thought, the dance floor was packed with mortals and vampires. His nose curled from the nauseous product of the scents mingling together. Sweat really didn’t do mortals any favors. He took the stairs hidden away in the back down to the bar that he found out Seongmin worked. Down there, the air was less stifling and overpowering, owing to the complete lack of mortals, and Taeil’s senses were able to relax. The noise down here wasn’t as pressured as upstairs, although he could still feel the thumping of the overdone bass beat.

 

He saw Seongmin manning the bar, casually talking to the vampire he was serving at the moment. After being alive for 4,000 years, Taeil thought he was pretty good at keeping his anger and emotions in check. Even at the time, he wondered why he had gotten so worked up. Taeyong was just a mortal; a mortal with a rare scent, sure, but he wasn’t significant. And yet, his instincts whispered to him, you have to protect him; he’s important to you. He approached Seongmin languidly, taking his time as he weaved past other vampires. When he arrived at the bar, he waited patiently for Seongmin to notice him.

 

“What can I get you, sir?” Seongmin asked, smoothly wrapping up his conversation with the previous vampire. Taeil pretended to be slightly shocked while he stared intensely into Seongmin’s eyes.

 

“Oh, aren’t you Jung Seongmin?” When he started smiling smugly, Taeil knew he had him. “I’ve heard so much about your skills. It’s an honor to meet you.”

 

“Ah, you’re not from around here, are you? Otherwise, you would have already met me,” Seongmin boasted, and Taeil let him have his moment before he started asking him questions.

 

“Did you just start your shift?” Best to ease him into it. Seongmin didn’t notice the way that Taeil’s eyes took on a muted shade of their golden glow.

 

“Actually, I did. You came in at just the right time.”

 

“Oh, did I?” he hummed. “Well, I don’t suppose you passed by the Lee Tech building?” A light of fear had crept into Seongmin’s eyes, but it was far too late for him. Taeil’s eyes smoldered under the dim lights and Seongmin couldn’t stop the words from spilling out of his lips.

 

“I passed by the building because my master told me he wanted me to take care of some business, and when I smelled that mortal I couldn’t resist myself.” Seongmin looked terrified now, shrinking into himself with each admission. “Someone else came and stopped me, I swear I didn’t hurt him.”

 

“I’m sure you didn’t,” Taeil whispered menacingly, grabbing Seongmin’s collar and yanking him closer. “It’s too bad that I don’t particularly care.” Taeil used a nearby stool to lever himself onto the top of the counter, pulling Seongmin up with him. He let his anger do the talking for him. “Have you heard of me, Seongmin? Hm?” The lower bar had fallen silent, enough to hear Seongmin’s harsh breathing. “I’m Moon Taeil, Elder of Korea, and I don’t enjoy when someone touches what belongs to me.” And then Taeil threw Seongmin across the bar. The room broke into chaos, vampires trying to duck out of the way of the flying body and escape upstairs, but Taeil ignored all of them as he stalked over to where Seongmin lay dazed on the ground, a dent in the wall where he’d hit it.

 

“Who’s your sire?” he asked in that same calm tone, although the glow of his eyes was getting stronger.

 

“I don’t know,” Seongmin slurred, head lolling to the side as he slumped. Taeil pulled him up roughly. “I swear I don’t know,” he stuttered, “He never told us.”

 

“Hm. That’s too bad. I was hoping to get some information out of you before I had some fun.”

 

Part of being an Elder, Taeil realized long ago, was having more power than should ever be given to anyone. It was about reining in every urge you’d have and keeping a calm facade, because if you weren’t careful, you wouldn’t be able to control what happened. In 4,000 years, he had allowed himself to lose control only twice; the first time had been an accident, and the second had been to save Jaemin. He didn’t have any recollection of what happened when he let the whispers in his head guide his actions, and the only reason he knew about the previous two instances was because he had been faced with the aftermath both times.

 

When he came back to his senses, his clothes were soaked with black blood and splatters of it were drying on the walls, the floors, and on the countertop. As he slowly drew his hand out of where it was buried in what might have been Seongmin’s lungs, he scrunched his face in disgust. He couldn’t bring himself to feel any regret for Seongmin’s mangled, unrecognizable remains. Unconsciously, he licked his lips and got a bit of Seongmin’s blood in his mouth. He was about to spit it out when he froze and registered the taste. Frantically, he swiped at some of the blood on his face and tasted it again, hands shaking as his suspicions were confirmed. It was impossible, it was impossible, it was impossible, he said to himself over and over as he walked away from the gruesome scene he’d created. He didn’t want to believe it.

 

The ride home was a struggle. Jisung was having a hard time consoling him while continuing driving, and as much as Taeil felt guilty about it, he suddenly couldn’t stand his clothes or his skin. _He had his blood on him_ , he thought repetitively, spiraling further and further into a state of unresponsiveness. He could hear Jisung, but he wasn’t processing his words, and he could tell his breathing was getting more and more uneven. The moment they had arrived at the house, Taeil stumbled out of the car, needing to breathe, needing to get rid of the blood all over him. He struggled with the door for a few moments, completely brushing past Johnny and another mortal on the other side. Somewhere, he had the thought that maybe this was the Donghyuck that Taeyong had mentioned, but he didn’t stop to ask.

 

A grip on his wrist forced him to stop, and Taeil whirled around to face Johnny with a wild look on his face, eyes narrowed and mouth pulled into a snarl. “Don’t touch me, Johnny,” he growled, struggling to keep himself under control. Johnny released him, shocked by his behavior and the blood all over him, and Taeil saw the mortal stumble back. “Don’t touch me, don’t touch me, don’t touch me,” he chanted over and over, stumbling backward towards his room. His voice and head steadily dropped until he was mumbling at his feet, strangled breaths being the only ones he could take. His skin itched; he needed to burn his clothes, he needed to get it off of him. Dimly, he heard Chittaphon calling after him, but he'd already reached his room and shut the door.

 

Immediately, he ripped off the suit he’d been wearing, the same one from the meeting, and slammed open the bathroom door. He spent almost an hour inside, scrubbing every inch of his body over and over in an attempt to – to what? Purify himself? No. He didn’t want the memories that came with the knowledge of who’s blood this was. The wound was far too fresh. How could it be him?

 

Once he'd finally exhausted himself, he slumped out of the shower and found something else to change into, refusing to look at the suit discarded in the corner of his room. There was a knock at the door, along with a soft voice calling for him.

 

“Taeil-hyung?” It was Jaemin. Taeil wavered; he wanted comfort, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to open himself up to anyone. Only Yuta and Kun would understand. “Please, hyung, we’re worried about you.” He caved. Taeil cracked open the door the smallest bit, enough for him to see that Jaemin was the only one outside. His face was concerned, and suddenly, Taeil felt bad for worrying them so much.

 

“Can I come in, hyung?” He opened the door a little wider as an invitation, and Jaemin slipped inside. His eyes quickly took in the messy state of Taeil’s closet and the suit he’d abandoned before he turned to Taeil. His eyes were downcast, unmoving from the spot on the floor he was looking at, and Jaemin could see the exhaustion and tension in his shoulders. Like with a wounded animal, Jaemin reached out for Taeil, who fell into his arms without hesitation. Taeil’s arms encircled Jaemin’s body and clutched him like a lifeline.

 

“It’s okay to be vulnerable sometimes, hyung,” he whispered, and a floodgate broke in Taeil’s mind. Every memory he’d repressed rose to the surface, how much it had hurt when they found about his death, the painful emptiness he’d left behind, the shock that his revelation had left him in. He cried into Jaemin’s shoulder silently, and Jaemin stroked his hair gently as he led the two of them to Taeil’s bed to sit down. The clock ticked in the corner of the room, the only measure of time for how long they stayed in that position. When his tears finally stopped coming, Taeil felt drained and tired in a way that went beyond a lack of energy. His hold on Jaemin tightened.

 

“Do you want to tell me about it? No judgment, like always.” His voice stayed low, but it took on a teasing tone at the end when he said Taeil’s own words back to him. Taeil understood the connection and managed a weak chuckle, lifting his head away from Jaemin’s shoulder just enough to be able to blink without brushing his lashes against Jaemin’s clothes. He took a deep breath around the lump in his throat.

 

“Is Taeyong okay?” he asked instead of explaining his distress. Jaemin shook his head but answered anyway.

 

“Yes, Ten-hyung treated his wounds and helped with his concussion. Johnny-hyung brought Donghyuck back because he’s Taeyong’s brother.” Jaemin carefully cupped Taeil’s face in his hands and made him look up. “Please stop covering up your suffering, hyung,” he pleaded, “because it doesn’t only hurt you anymore. You have people who care for you, people who will grow to care for you.”

 

“I know, but it’s hard to remember that sometimes. I was alone for a long time, Jaemin,” Taeil said, voice cracking in places from his crying. “Yuta isn’t here, and neither is Kun, and Johnny doesn’t know the full story. We never told him.”

 

“Why do you need Yuta-hyung and Kun-hyung?” Jaemin asked, and his frown could be heard through his words.

 

“Because they remember him, Jaemin-ah,” Taeil said quietly, curling in on himself, and Jaemin felt pained seeing him do that. He pulled Taeil closer, reaching around to hug him instead of simply holding him. He could tell that Taeil wasn’t going to tell him anything else, and he wordlessly let him settle his head into the crook of his neck and breathe his scent to calm down. Because that was something that everybody knew – that Taeil loved Jaemin more than anything else. And even Jaemin worried about the lengths Taeil might one day go for him.

 

“I used it earlier today,” he said, the words muffled by Jaemin’s skin. “I let myself lose control.” Small shivers racked Taeil’s body as he continued speaking. “I’m scared of how much he already means to me, Jaemin-ah. I don’t know why I care so much, but it was enough for me to think that being an Elder was more important than being Taeil.”

 

“We’ll figure it out, hyung,” he murmured. He lay back on the bed, pulling Taeil with him so that they were lying in a more comfortable position. Neither of them were certain how much time had passed, but they only got up when another set of knocks came from the door, much more hesitant than Jaemin’s had been. “Do you want to go back, hyung? I can tell them to give us more time if that’s what you want,” he offered, but Taeil shook his head.

 

“I think I can go back out now.” Reluctantly, Taeil extracted himself from Jaemin’s embrace and ruffled his hair wearily as he walked over to the door. He opened it and saw Johnny on the other side, and all of a sudden he was hit by a wave of guilt for how he’d yelled at him. They both opened their mouths at the same time, and in sync, they closed them as well. A short pause followed until Taeil smiled apologetically.

 

“You can say what you want first,” he said, shifting from foot to foot awkwardly. Johnny glanced up to see Jaemin standing behind Taeil quietly before looking back at the Elder.

 

“I’m sorry for trying to stop you before.” Taeil frowned and tried to protest, but Johnny kept going. “I should’ve known you were in a bad mood and I should’ve –,”

 

“– It wasn’t your fault, Johnny,” he interjected. “I overreacted when all you were trying to do was make sure I was okay, and that wasn’t fair of me.”

 

“But I –,”

 

“– No, I’m not hearing anything else about this,” Taeil stated firmly. “It wasn’t your fault, and I should’ve controlled myself better.” Determination had replaced the exhaustion in his eyes, and Jaemin and Johnny exchanged a look that completely conveyed their defeat to Taeil’s utter selflessness.

 

“What wasn’t anyone’s fault?” a new voice asked, and both Johnny and Taeil’s whipped around to look in the direction of the owner. Leaning against the wall and squinting against the light was Taeyong, who was decidedly not supposed to be up and walking for any reason. And yet Taeil couldn’t get angry at him, not when Taeyong’s bed hair left it a fluffy mess, a halo around his head.

 

“Taeyong-ssi,” Johnny scolded, rushing over to Taeyong and starting to lead him back to the room they had put him in. “Ten said you can’t be moving for at least two days, otherwise it might worsen your concussion.”

 

“But I’m so bored,” he whined, quite childishly, and yet another voice was heard from down the hall.

 

“What are you, hyung, five?” it sneered, and Taeil raised an eyebrow at Johnny questioningly. Johnny sighed as Taeyong raised his voice to yell back.

 

“Shut up, Hyuck!” Taeil hurried to shush him.

 

“Taeyong-ssi, you can’t strain yourself in any way,” he hissed admonishingly, glancing around to see if Ten would appear out of nowhere. “Ten will have our heads if he finds out you were out of bed.”

 

“Why are you so afraid of Ten-ssi?” he asked innocently, even more confused when the three vampires glanced at each other nervously. Jaemin started to open his mouth but it closed it almost immediately. Taeil glanced at Johnny expectantly while Taeyong’s darted between them.

 

“Ten can get really… intense,” he said eventually. “At some point, we’ve all been yelled at by him for not taking care of ourselves, but since you’re a mortal, he’s gonna yell at us because we should know better than let you walk around,” he said with a wince.

 

“That’s a good inference, Johnny,” Ten pointed out icily from the end of the hall, arms crossed across his chest and black hair falling over his eyes ominously. Taeil and Jaemin gave Johnny a helpless glance before hurrying away from the imminent lecture. They felt only the slightest bit of remorse for throwing Johnny under the bus.

 

“I’m going to find Jisung-ah,” Jaemin whispered to Taeil, disappearing before the shouting would start, leaving Taeil alone with Taeyong. He suddenly felt colder.

 

“Alright, come on,” he said in lieu of addressing his sudden chills. Taeyong huffed dramatically at being forced on bed rest again, but he knew that he had no chance against Taeil’s strength. They shuffled down the hall to the room Taeyong had been sleeping in. When Taeil got him into bed and made to leave and call Yuta, however, Taeyong’s hand came out from under the covers to hold onto his wrist. More out of surprise that Taeyong willingly wanted to talk to him than the actual motion itself, he stopped abruptly and turned back. The pout on Taeyong’s face made his brain halt.

 

“Why are you leaving already?” he whined deliriously, blinking to keep his eyes focused on Taeil. Frozen, Taeil almost didn’t respond at all.

 

“You need to rest,” he said weakly, prying his hand out of Taeyong’s grip. He tried not to feel bad as Taeyong’s face crumpled sadly. He remembered Yuta, tried to steel himself against his emotions because he knew how this would end. Forcibly turning away from Taeyong, he’d almost made his way out the door.

 

“Please stay.” And that was when Taeil found out he was a weak, weak man. Because all it took was one broken plea from Taeyong for him to lose all his morals, to throw aside all his misgivings. He hated it, hated it with every fiber of his being, that Taeyong was so easy to be comfortable with. He pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat down in it heavily. The smile that stretched across Taeyong’s face made it even more difficult for him to focus on ignoring his feelings.

 

“Hey, Taeil, how long have you been alive?” The question was innocent enough, but Taeil felt his throat tighten uncomfortably.

 

“It’s been over 4,000 years since I turned,” he said, “Why?”

 

“Then you must be lonely,” Taeyong murmured thoughtfully while he stared at the ceiling.

 

“Well, I’ve made a few friends,” Taeil shrugged.

 

“But isn’t it lonely, sometimes? Were you alone?” he persisted, rising up on one elbow to look at Taeil in concern. With a tired sigh, Taeil pushed him back down.

 

“I was,” he said, hating how vulnerable his tone sounded. “Had a few mishaps. Why do you care so much, Taeyong?”

 

“Because lonely people always cover up their hurt the most.” Taeil tilted his head in confusion, waiting for Taeyong to say more, but he merely turned over and shuffled the blanket on top of him until it was the way he wanted. Uneasily, he shifted in his chair.

 

“Are you going to sleep now?”

 

“I guess I’ll try,” Taeyong mumbled from around his pillow, his impassive tone sharply contrasting to the curious one he’d been using. Taeil stood up and left, not before making sure Taeyong had been tucked in properly and the room was dark enough.

 

Outside, the hall was quiet, which either meant Johnny had gotten off lightly or Chittaphon had taken their argument somewhere else. Taeil pulled out his phone, weighing it carefully in his hands and debating whether or not he should tell Yuta now or wait for a better time. In the end, he decided it would be better to wait a little longer. Even he hadn’t fully accepted the situation; there was no doubt in his mind that Yuta would take it harder than him. The dial tone rang in the empty hall, and Taeil walked further from Taeyong’s room to avoid disrupting his sleep.

 

“Taeil-sama?” Yuta answered, surprised to be getting a call.

 

“Yuta-yah, there was something I wanted to discuss with you.” He hesitated momentarily, wondering how to phrase himself. “I think I’m falling into the same situation you were in.”

 

“How?” Yuta asked, shock turning his tone sharp before he could catch himself.

 

“There was a mortal, a casualty to the first time I became aware of the rogue,” Taeil explained, “And I’ve already started falling, Yuta-yah, I don’t understand why.”

 

“You can’t do this to yourself,” he argued. “The memories hurt too much, Taeil-sama. If you fall in love with a mortal, there’s a possibility you might never be the same. Especially you.”

 

“I know,” he whispered, “I know. But what can I do about it?”

 

“Cut the infatuation at its root. If you push him away now, in the early stages, it’ll be easier in the long run. Don’t make my mistake.” Taeil fell silent, processing what he would have to do and already feeling queasy at the thought of pretending he didn’t care for Taeyong.

 

“I’ll try, Yuta-yah.” He ended the call before Yuta could speak again. His stare was unfocused, and he could already feel the emptiness growing in him from the detachment of his emotions. He wondered which one would have hurt more.

 

“Taeil?” A voice called for him. It took Taeil a few seconds to recognize someone was looking for him, but by the time he had grounded himself in reality long enough to provide an answer, Johnny was already in front of him, concern etched all over his face. “What happened?”

 

“Nothing, I just had a conversation with Yuta and lost myself for a bit. What did you want to tell me?” Johnny slid down the wall to join Taeil on the ground so that he didn’t have to crane his neck to look up.

 

“There was something that Taeyong said earlier,” he started, “about a brother he had. Apparently, he died, vanished and they never found him. And that’s not a big deal, but his name was what caught my attention.”

 

“Spit it out, Johnny, you’re circling around the point.”

 

“His name was Ji Hansol. Hansol, as in Yuta’s Hansol.” Taeil felt a headache coming on to join the upset state of his stomach.

 

“You couldn’t have chosen a worse timing,” he groaned, letting his head fall back against the wall. He couldn’t deal with this now, so he stored the information away for later.

 

It was hard, Taeil found out, to ignore Taeyong entirely. No matter how often he tried to avoid being in the same place, they still found a way to gravitate to each other. And it hurt him to remain in cold silence and watch as Taeyong slowly understood that he was being ignored. On top of that, the massive amount of energy he’d used up was starting to catch up to him, which meant that he had to bring back mortals to gain back what he’d lost. And as uncomfortable as it made him now to be holding a mortal that wasn’t Taeyong, that didn’t smell like him, there was nothing he could do. He wasn’t ready to risk everything yet.

 

For Taeyong’s part, he was confused more than he was angered that Taeil was giving him the cold shoulder. Because as much as he loved Donghyuck and was beginning to grow comfortable around the other vampires, he hated the missing feeling in his heart when he wasn’t able to talk to him. He hated that it was there, but he also knew there wasn’t anything he could do. He tried to distract himself by talking to Jaemin, Jisung, and Donghyuck, who had surprisingly gotten close to each other once Donghyuck had stopped being scared of them, and asking Chittaphon and Johnny questions, but it wasn’t really working. Not in the long run. It only took him four days to snap.

 

“Why do you keep ignoring me?” Taeyong asked heatedly, cornering Taeil in the juncture of a hall arch and the wall. He was fed up with the attitude he’d been faced with for the past three days, and he felt irrationally upset as well. Taeil glared at him, chillingly calm and raised an eyebrow haughtily.

 

“Why should it matter to you that I’m being distant?” he asked coldly, the complete opposite of Taeyong’s attitude. It only served to make his temper hotter.

 

“Because you’ve brought four random humans back in the past two nights, and I want to know what’s going on with you,” he growled. The accusation in his voice didn’t outwardly faze Taeil, who narrowed his eyes and brushed past Taeyong with no difficulty. The mortal scowled harder and whipped around to stalk after the vampire. “This is exactly what I fucking mean,” he hissed, “You’ve been brushing me off constantly, so what the fuck is your problem?”

 

“Aren’t you supposed to be a CEO?” Taeil asked patronizingly, mocking Taeyong’s use of curses. “Besides, that’s how we get our energy – or have you forgotten that we’re not alive?”

 

“Oh, so you get your energy through sex?” While it was an honest question, Taeyong’s tone tore it to shreds and riled Taeil up.

 

“No, you heathen,” he seethed, stopping in his tracks to turn and stare into Taeyong’s eyes. “It’s just easier to bite them that way. Do you think we can simply go around biting any mortal for energy? We’ve created rules, and everyone has to stick to them.”

 

Taeyong’s anger got the better of him. He spoke before he thoroughly thought about what he was about to say.

 

“If you can’t go around biting just anyone, why not take advantage of someone right here?” Once the words escaped his mouth, both of them froze. Varying levels of shock played out on both of their faces as the words sunk in, and although Taeyong was sure he was blushing like crazy, he didn’t back down from Taeil’s stare. As he watched, Taeil’s eyes lightened into a burnished gold, not as bright as when he’d had golden eyes the first time they met, but lighter than their normal dark brown. The breath caught in his throat when Taeil stepped forward predatorily, pushing lightly on Taeyong’s shoulder until he was standing right in front of the wall. His mouth was stuffed with cotton and he couldn’t swallow properly.

 

“Is that what you wanted, Taeyong?” he whispered, the hand on his shoulder traveling up to stroke his neck. “You wanted me all to yourself?” Secretly, even Taeil didn’t know where these bold words had come from. But he was enjoying the changes he could smell in Taeyong’s scent, so he kept going.

 

“It’s no wonder that other vampires couldn’t keep their heads around you. No wonder you draw them in like a magnet. You have such a sweet scent, did you know?” He leaned forward so that his nose skimmed Taeyong’s neck. He was so tired of keeping himself distant, of stopping himself from reaching out to Taeyong every time he saw him turn around, hurt written all over his face. “Like gardenias,” came the follow up to the unspoken question, a soft puff of breath. He kept himself from holding onto Taeyong in any way so that the mortal had the option to back away at any given moment. He merely tilted his neck to expose more of it.

 

“Is that too selfish of me?” he asked softly, talking about how he wished he had Taeil for himself, shivering when Taeil took the invitation to give his neck a small kiss.

 

“Even if it was, I’m selfish too.” Taeil’s laughter tickled his skin, and goosebumps rose along his arms. He looked up Taeyong again, this time with his mouth set firmly. “Will you tell me if I go too far?”

 

Taeyong didn’t hesitate to say, “You won’t do that.” This made Taeil frown, the downturn of his lips making Taeyong feel guilty for not promising him that he would follow his request. “I don’t think you’ll do that, but I’ll tell you. Promise.” A sly smile slipped onto Taeil’s face, and he tugged Taeyong closer by the front of his shirt.

 

“Then I’ll indulge you.”

 

* * *

 

The rogue paced restlessly in his small apartment, gnashing his teeth harshly. “You’re telling me that Seongmin is gone?” he interrogated, stopping directly in front of one of his newer children. He didn’t know his name, didn’t particularly care either. His gaze held his child in place, and he stammered helplessly.

 

“Ye-Yes, sire. We di-didn’t even recognize his b-body.”

 

His eyes narrowed dangerously. “What does that mean?”

 

“W-We talked to some witnesses, sire. They s-said that it was the E-Elder.”

 

“Who the fuck is the Elder?” he bit out, stepping closer to where his child kneeled. The child flinched.

 

“I don’t know, sire,” he whimpered pleadingly, “I only know his name is Moon Taeil.”

 

“Then find out more about him.” His tone allowed no arguments. He turned around to stand in front of the window and look out on the busy Seoul streets. A memory tickled the back of his mind, from before, when he was still mortal. It itched in a way he knew would only go away when he realized what he was missing, but it wasn’t coming back to him. Maybe he used to know a Taeil. But he pushed that thought away for now; he would have to come up with a plan to exact revenge on this Elder, but first, he needed to replace Seongmin.

 

* * *

 

Everything was going fine. Taeil, Johnny, and Chittaphon were getting more and more leads on the rogue, starting with drawing a correlation between missing persons. Jaemin and Jisung were helping compile and understand the data, and Taeyong and Donghyuck were safe. Sicheng and Kun had brought their houses with them to come and visit Taeil, and what should’ve felt stifling and uncomfortable was homely. Taeil and Taeyong didn’t really know where they stood with each other, too preoccupied in their own separate jobs to properly talk it out, but they tried to not let it get too awkward between them. Now, Taeil wished they had talked sooner.

 

His phone rang, a startling sound in the emptiness of the alley they were in, leaning over a dead victim trying to figure out which one of the rogue’s children did it. Taeil glanced it oddly, frowning when he saw Jisung’s caller id. “Jisung?” he answered. On the other end of the line, there was the sound of running footsteps, and Jisung’s harsh breathing was all that could be heard for a moment.

 

“Hyung, he’s gone,” he managed to say, the words sounding strained and forced. “Jaemin and I searched the whole house and Xuxi and Renjun are already looking around the company to see if he went there without telling us, and Chenle’s watching Donghyuck at home, but I have a bad feeling, hyung.” Jisung’s panting jumbled some of the words together, but Taeil understood enough to feel himself get even colder.

 

“He’s gone?” he choked. “When did you find out?”

 

“About twenty minutes ago.” Someone yelled Jisung’s name in the background, and Jisung’s attention shifted from the phone for a moment. “What is it, Jaemin?” Jaemin brought a piece of paper over for Jisung to read and took the phone from him.

 

“Taeil-hyung, please come back as quickly as you can. It’s looking bad.”

 

“What does that mean?” Taeil cried, voice descending into hysteria with every new revelation.

 

“Please just come back, hyung,” Jaemin begged before the call got cut. Taeil stared at his phone, trying to understand what was happening without completely breaking down. Sicheng was in front of him in an instant, grabbing Taeil’s arms to steady him. He hadn’t realized he was about to fall.

 

“Taeil-gē, what’s wrong?” he asked, keeping his voice low so that Taeil didn’t get startled. The breath in his lungs suddenly didn’t seem like enough.

 

“Taeyong’s gone, Sicheng-ah,” he whispered brokenly, his breathing becoming shallower as the weight of the statement and the terror finally settled in. There was so much that could go wrong, and Taeil had no idea what happened.

 

“Taeil,” Johnny called, standing next to Sicheng as a worried Kun and Chittaphon waited behind them. “Breathe with me, come on. In, count to five, out, count to five. Do it with me.” Taeil slowly brought himself under control by following along to Johnny’s instructions, clutching to Sicheng’s arms tightly.

 

“I’m going to call Dongyoung,” Chittaphon announced, already in the process of dialing his number.

 

“Tell Yoonoh to come down too,” Johnny said, rubbing Taeil’s back. “What do we need to do, Taeil?”

 

“Kun-ah, please finish gathering the evidence,” he answered shakily, making himself suppress everything for the moment. “The rest of us will go back to the house. When can Dongyoung, Yoonoh, and his house make it up here?”

 

“They should be able to get here in three hours, maybe less,” Chittaphon answered, the phone still pressed to his ear. Taeil nodded his confirmation.

 

“Then let’s go. We have nothing else to do here. Kun, come back as quickly as you can.”

 

The scene they were greeted was a worried Chenle holding back a devastated Donghyuck, who was already in tears, from running away to search for Taeyong himself. The closer they got, the more clearly Taeil could make out Donghyuck’s words.

 

“Let me go, I need to try to look for him!” He struggled vainly against Chenle’s grip as Jisung tried to calm him down.

 

“Please, Donghyuck, we’re searching –,” Jisung started, but he got cut off almost immediately.

 

“Well then you’re not trying hard enough!” he shouted, the tears streaming harder down his face. Taeil came up quietly behind them and motioned for Chenle to let Donghyuck go. Despite his angry declarations, the moment Chenle wasn’t supporting him, he collapsed onto his knees helplessly. Taeil approached Donghyuck slowly, crouching down so that they were on the same level. He enveloped the sobbing boy in his arms, petting his hair reassuringly and murmuring in his ear. The others left them alone, disappearing to complete their own tasks so that they could find Taeyong as quickly as possible.

 

“Hyung, when you calm Donghyuck down, please come find me and Jisung,” Jaemin spoke softly, “I have something important to show you.” Taeil nodded minutely, continuing to stroke Donghyuck’s hair as the sobs turned to sniffles. After his sniffles died as well, Taeil grasped his shoulders gently and pushed him back to get a good look at his face.

 

“Donghyuck-ssi, after being alive for as long as I have, I know the weight of empty promises,” he began, “So when I tell you that I will find Taeyong, I will find him. The problem is, I can’t guarantee how he’ll be when we do.” He faltered, staring at a point behind the mortal for a moment before he managed to refocus. “I can’t say that to you, Donghyuck-ssi, I can’t give you that false reassurance. We can only hope. I only ask that you don’t lose that hope, Donghyuck-ssi, or else you might never find him.”

 

“What if I can’t, Taeil-ssi?”

 

“Don’t think about that,” was Taeil’s only advice. He sent Donghyuck off with a heavy feeling in his heart to go and help Chenle and Renjun and went his own way to find Jaemin and Jisung like he had asked. He found them gathered with Kun and Sicheng at the dining table, all hunched over something that was laying on it.

 

“What’s going on,” he asked hesitantly, entirely sure it was bad news. Jisung looked up nervously, his lower lip caught between his teeth.

 

“There was a letter tied to the gate, Taeil-hyung,” he said, handing it over for him to read. “We don’t really understand it, but it might be from the rogue.” Taeil grabbed the letter and scanned it over quickly, muttering the words under his breath. It was typical of a ransom letter, which wouldn’t have been a big deal, but Taeil was getting undertones of bitterness and anger, which wasn’t good in the slightest. There was writing about how the rogue, if that’s who it was, wanted to exact revenge for a child killed by the Elder, which led to the question of who Taeil had killed in recent days. His face paled in dawning realization. The final piece of the puzzle was the signature, a simple “H”. His breath stuttered in his lungs, and Taeil felt the world around him suddenly dull with the knowledge that the rogue and Seongmin’s sire were the same people.

 

Sicheng and Jaemin were calling his name, Kun and Jisung had run off to find Johnny, and Taeil was finding it more and more difficult to get any air when all of the stress and anxiety caught up to him. Taeyong was gone, kidnapped; he knew who the rogue was, intimately; he was falling for Taeyong, hard. It was too much all at once, and Taeil was struck by the sudden need to call Yuta. Kun returned with Johnny, who Sicheng stepped out of the way for, and he was brought over to a chair to sit down in. He started counting, repeating a breathing exercise for Taeil to follow, but it took too long to calm him down and Taeil felt tears leak out of his eyes from how overwhelmed he was. And once he started he couldn’t stop.

 

“What happened, Taeil-gē?” Kun asked, putting one hand on Taeil’s shoulder in an attempt to show his support. Taeil could only sob harder and curl in on himself, waiting for the hysteria to pass him by so that he could focus on what needed to be done.

 

Through choked tears, he managed to say, “It’s Hansol, Kun-ah. Hansol is the rogue, Hansol never died, Hansol was Seongmin’s sire, Taeyong’s in danger, and I need to tell Yuta,” he rambled, doing his best not to let the words run together. He didn’t think he tried hard enough, but Kun must have understood enough because his slack face was staring at him incredulously.

 

“Wait, you don’t mean Hansol as in Yuta’s ex, right? Ji Hansol?” Johnny asked, his own disbelief evident in his tone. Kun nodded in confirmation, and Johnny’s face crumpled. “Ji Hansol was Taeyong and Donghyuck’s brother, Taeil.”

 

“Will we be able to reason with him?” Sicheng asked, the gears in his head turning, trying to figure out a plan while everyone else stood around in shock.

 

“Maybe, but there’s no guarantee,” Kun answered faintly, “The turning sometimes strips those who suffer through it of their memories. Sometimes they get them back. Other times they start anew. And some – they go insane from the emptiness that they know is there but can do nothing to fill.”

 

“We need to find him,” Johnny said resolutely, allowing Jisung to take his place and calm Taeil down to a point that his tears would stop. “We don’t want to risk anything happening to Taeyong.”

 

“But Dongyoung-hyung won’t be here for another two hours!” Jaemin protested.

 

“We can’t wait around for him,” Johnny said, “And it would be even better if we could figure out where Hansol is before they get here so that we don’t waste time. Kun, get on the phone with Yuta and tell him what’s happening. If he gets on a flight immediately, he should arrive at the same time as Dongyoung.” Kun gave up his spot at Taeil’s shoulder to Jaemin and fumbled with his phone as he walked away to call Yuta. Internally, he was dreading what the other Elder’s reaction would be. Jisung and Jaemin were left to try to calm their sire.

 

When the tear finally stopped, Taeil’s eyes hurt, and he already knew they would be awfully puffy and red-rimmed, but he couldn’t bring himself to care too much. He couldn’t bring himself to do much right now. Jisung pulled him into a tentative hug, and Taeil slipped into it limply, unsure if he even had the strength and energy left to return the gesture. His youngest child took it all in stride, taking it upon himself to put more energy into his hold so that Taeil knew he was there.

 

“Do you want to stay here for a little longer?” he asked into Taeil’s ear, and his sire shook his head tiredly.

 

“No, I have to go and do my part.”

 

“No one’s going to blame you if you have to take some time to rest, hyung,” Jaemin reprimanded him, soothingly rubbing one of his shoulders.

 

“But I wouldn’t forgive myself, Jaemin-ah,” he said, standing up on shaky legs and gently removing Jisung’s arms. Kun came in from the other room, lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed in concern.

 

“Yuta said he could be here in an hour and a half if he pushed it, so both parties will arrive at the same time,” he informed, choosing not to tell Taeil about the specifics of what Yuta had said.

 

“Thank you, Kun. I’ll call Dongyoung and ask him if Mark can try to find out anything about Hansol.” It only takes a short explanation from Taeil for Yoonoh to put Mark to the task of gathering and cross-checking information to uncover the life Hansol had been leading. Taeil scanned the information Yoonoh sent him on Mark’s behalf and closed his eyes tightly to take a deep breath. He gathered Johnny and Kun to try and come up with a plan for when they would go rescue Taeyong, but Sicheng brought to their attention that it could be a setup.

 

“Then how should we make sure we don’t waste our time?” Johnny asked, lips drawn into a thin line.

 

“Xuxi would be able to go and check out the address that Mark sent, but I don’t want to send him alone, and we don’t have anyone we can spare right now,” Sicheng replied. Taeil chewed lightly on the inside of his lip.

 

“Should we wait for Jungwoo?” Kun asked.

 

“They should be coming soon,” Taeil answered, still thinking, feeling a plan start to come together, “In about a half hour. We can wait that long. Alright, let’s do it like this. Xuxi and Jungwoo will go and scout Hansol’s apartment and find out if we’re going to the right place. We’ll wait here and prepare on our own. Sicheng, can you and Ten stay back to protect the children?”

 

“Why? Don’t you want all of us with you?”

 

“I don’t want to risk anyone else getting hurt, especially since Taeyong is involved and they must have some idea of his importance.”

 

“To you?” Sicheng asked, his eyes boring into Taeil’s. He didn’t provide an answer, turning away to avoid the accusing stare.

 

“Is everyone okay with that?” he asked instead. No one raised any objections, so Sicheng sighed.

 

“Fine, I’ll tell Ten-hyung. We’re watching Chenle, Renjun, Jeno, Jaemin, Mark, Jisung, and Donghyuck since the others are already part of the plan, correct?” he counted off each person as he listed them.

 

“That’ll be it.” Taeil placed a hand on Sicheng’s shoulder as he passed by and whispered a quiet, “Thank you.” The younger vampire simply nodded and walked away. “The rest of you should prepare in the ways you think best. When Yoonoh and Dongyoung arrive, we’ll begin the final preparations.”

 

“Are you going to tell Donghyuck that he isn’t coming?” Johnny came up beside him.

 

“I have to go do that,” Taeil said, grimacing when he thought about how Donghyuck would handle it. “Give me your luck, please.”

 

“No can do, I need all of it to make sure Ten doesn’t rip my head off for forgetting to wash the dishes.”

 

When Dongyoung and Yoonoh arrived, Dongyoung only had to see the slump of Taeil’s shoulders and the puffiness still present around his eyes to pull him into a crushing hug. Taeil hooked his chin on Dongyoung’s shoulder and took in the comfort his child tried to pass to him, doing his best to ignore the sad look Yoonoh was giving him. Because the other vampire knew what had happened to Taeil in the short few days he’d known Taeyong, and the look was just shy of pity for his situation. He didn’t need that right now. Donghyuck had made a big show of anger over not being allowed to come with them, and for the moment was locked in some room. The tension over the upcoming confrontation was getting to Taeil.

 

Yuta arrived shortly after, and Taeil found it difficult to even look him in the eye. He remembered his advice, to not fall in love with a mortal, and Yuta would be able to figure out he had fallen anyway with a single look in his eyes. At the same time, he would know just from the way Taeil couldn’t look at him, and it was too Taeil’s great surprise that Yuta didn’t say anything to him. He simply asked for an overview of what they’d discussed and gave Taeil a small squeeze on the arm as he left to find Sicheng.

 

Xuxi and Jungwoo were sent on their way, and it became a waiting game. There was only so much they could do when the only task was to scout the area. Taeil wandered the house aimlessly while he tried to pass the time.

 

* * *

 

 

Xuxi glanced outside the car cautiously, scanning the ground level while Jungwoo checked the windows and rooftops of the surrounding buildings. When they didn’t catch sight of anything threatening, they exited the car, turned towards each other so they could cover each other’s blind spot. Jungwoo motioned towards the entrance of the apartment with a small tilt of his head and they both walked towards it with all the casualty of as if they lived there. They used the doors and windows around them to monitor their reflections, and a strange feeling settled in both of their stomachs.

 

“Don’t you think it’s too quiet?” Xuxi whispered, his lips brushing the shell of Jungwoo’s ear. To a passing onlooker, they might have looked like a lovestruck couple, and while they weren’t far enough, that wasn’t the whole truth. Jungwoo wound an arm around Xuxi’s waist and tugged him closer.

 

“We’ll have to figure that out,” he hummed, and Xuxi’s breathy laugh tickled his ear and neck.

 

“It’s been a while since we’ve been together,” he mumbled, pulling away from Jungwoo’s ear and looking back at the building. They entered and headed for the elevators, and Jungwoo waited until they were inside to respond.

 

“It’s been two weeks.” He rolled his eyes exasperatedly, but there was a half smile on his face. “Wait until all of this blows over, I’ll take you on a date.”

 

“Sounds like a plan,” Xuxi grinned. The elevator dinged to signal that they had arrived on the floor that Hansol’s apartment was on. The arrived in front of the room and Jungwoo rammed it with his shoulder to open it. It turned out to be unlocked, and the force of Jungwoo’s hit sent the door slamming into the wall. A loud crack was heard, and when Jungwoo slowly peeled the door away, a large hole was revealed, along with large patches of plaster that had fallen. Jungwoo returned the door to its earlier position, pressed flush against the wall, and pretended he hadn’t just ruined the wall. Xuxi snickered and followed him inside.

 

The space they entered was barren, without any sort of indication that someone lived in it. There was a generic brown couch in the living room, a rickety dining table, and the bedroom was kept to the bare minimum: a cheap metal bed, lumpy mattress, and a low table to pass as a nightstand. As Jungwoo took a closer look at the bedroom and bathroom, Xuxi looked through the kitchen. He only found a few pots and pans – not rusty, but of poor quality – and a few cans in the cupboards.

 

“Damn, he doesn’t even have ramen cups in here,” Xuxi said to himself. He sensed someone behind him, but when he looked to see who it was, he only saw Jungwoo. “What did you find?” he asked, closing the cupboards and glancing around to make sure he hadn’t missed anything.

 

“The closets were completely empty,” he reported. “It doesn’t look like anyone even lives here.”

 

“We don’t have anything to work off of?” Xuxi asked, scrunching his face. He distrusted this whole situation; there must have been something they were missing. “Let’s check the living area again.”

 

On the dining table, a single note lay on the table, held down by the point of a knife. It definitely hadn’t been there before. Xuxi immediately ran to the door while Jungwoo checked the windows. The windows didn’t show any sign of a break in, but the door had swung back closed on suspiciously oily hinges.

 

“Fuck,” Xuxi grumbled staring at the door as if the perpetrator would waltz right back in. “I knew I’d sensed someone else in here.”

 

“Sorry, Xuxi, I probably threw you off.” Jungwoo picked up the paper. “At least now we know where to go.” He flipped the paper around for Xuxi to see.

 

“Alright, let’s get this back to Taeil-hyung.”

 

* * *

 

 

Taeil read the note Xuxi and Jungwoo brought back in his head, resisting the urge to crumple it up and throw it away. This was madness, and so unlike the Hansol he had known that he had trouble connecting the two in his head. But there was no mistaking who the rogue was, and there was definitely no mistaking what the note said. He shoved it into Kun’s hand and stomped off towards the car. He ignored the yelling that followed his departure and focused on aligning this new found information with the plan that they’d already laid out.

 

“Jungwoo, Xuxi, Kun, Dongyoung, come with me. The rest of you go with Yuta and Johnny, no don’t question me,” he said through his teeth, holding up a hand to prevent any objections. “This is urgent. Stick to the plan.”

 

“But Taeil-hyung, he’s asking you to go alone!” Dongyoung protested since he had been able to read the note over Taeil’s shoulder. Yuta and Kun frowned at each other while Johnny took on the same shocked expression as Dongyoung. Yoonoh just looked in between everyone, looking all for the matter lost.

 

“I’m the Elder of Korea, Dongyoung-ah,” he snapped, “I can handle a rogue.”

 

“Both Hansol and Taeyong are involved, Taeil-sama,” Yuta interjected, “How can you be so sure you won’t freeze up if Taeyong gets used a hostage?”

 

“How can you be so sure you won’t freeze up when you see Hansol?” Taeil asked, rounding on Yuta. A hint of fury entered Yuta’s eyes when Taeil indirectly brought up his history with Hansol. Taeil knew his eyes were already beginning to lighten, but he forced himself to calm down when Jaemin and Jisung looked at him worriedly from another room. “Just trust me, please,” Taeil said, exhaustion weighing him down as he continued to the car. The others followed wordlessly.

 

Hansol had written in the letter that they would find him in an abandoned bar in Guri-si, and the short ride was filled with nothing but the occasional question about what to do now that they couldn’t come inside with Taeil. He answered the questions shortly, something along the lines of waiting until he actually started to fight before they burst in. Other than that, Taeil watched the lights of Seoul pass into Guri-si and the sky as the sun began to set and it turned shades of orange and purple. Dongyoung pulled up to the bar address they’d been given, and Taeil walked out.

 

The bar really was dilapidated: the boarded windows, peeling paint, and sunken roof gave off a strong abandoned vibe. He pushed open the door and walked inside without hesitance. Taeyong was inside, Hansol too, and he needed to stick with the plan he kept telling everyone else to follow.

 

The halls contrasted sharply with the exterior. They were painted a dark navy blue, gold trim lining the edges where it met the floor and ceiling, and it confused Taeil to no end. As he walked along the shiny hardwood floor, he couldn’t help the sudden doubt that overcame him. What exactly was Hansol planning? The first thing to do when trying to overpower someone is to confuse and overwhelm them, and even though Taeil didn’t want to admit it, Hansol was well on his way to achieving that exact objective. There weren’t any rooms to check, although the hall itself didn’t stretch very far. It made a sharp right turn at the end, which meant that Taeil was walking blind into wherever it led. He wasn’t necessarily worried about his own safety, but rather of what would happen to Taeyong. He approached the turn cautiously, peeking around the corner to check for any attackers. He didn’t see a vampire ready to attempt to rip his throat out – attempt, because no amateur was going to be able to severely hurt him – but a large room. This would have been where the dance floor and bar area would be, however, Taeil only saw the latter along the far back wall. And leaning against the counter, swirling a drink with a decorative straw, was a vampire wearing a mask. The black base made the blue design stand out more clearly, curling lines that looked like vines and sparkles thrown on top to make it more festive. The black ribbon stood out starkly against Hansol’s blond hair.

 

“Hello, Elder-ssi,” Hansol called out, almost like he was mocking Taeil’s title. Taeil walked forward, each step deliberate as he made his way across the room to Hansol. “Take a seat, we might be here for a while.” Taeil sat down gingerly on a bar stool, avoiding making any sort of contact with the other. Hansol didn’t seem deterred, turning around and humming as he mixed a light drink for himself.

 

“How can you be so calm and comfortable?” Taeil asked, and although he already knew what Hansol’s answer would be, he wanted to hear it. To confirm his fears.

 

“I know you won’t try anything as long as Taeyong is still in my possession. Although he isn’t the only one you should be worried about.” Taeil straightened up in his seat. “Oh, that caught your attention. Would you like a drink, Taeil-ssi?”

 

“No thanks,” Taeil told him, ice coating his tone as a heavy feeling settled in his stomach. The worst part was that this was all to plan. Hansol finished his drink and turned back to look at Taeil, a satisfied smile on his face as he took a sip.

 

“Well, come with me, Taeil-ssi. Wouldn’t want you to get lost.” Hansol led Taeil through the halls, and Taeil didn’t have to see anyone to know that Hansol’s children were watching his every move. He didn’t dare step a hair out of line for fear of Taeyong’s well being.

 

The new room they entered didn’t match the rest of the building, and it certainly didn’t match the outside. If the outside had been rundown and the immediate interior had looked sophisticated, then the room Hansol had brought him too was royalty. Heavy velvet drapes lined the back wall, although there were no visible windows, and an ornate crystal chandelier hung above them, the glass reflecting the light like a million twinkling stars. And Taeil would examine the room more critically, but the only thing that held his attention was the fact that Donghyuck was being held at knifepoint in the middle of the room and Taeyong was cowering against the wall. Taeil didn’t truly need to breathe, as a result of being technically dead, which was highly convenient considering he didn’t think he was capable of that at that moment.

 

“So, Taeil-ssi, do you still have a plan?” Taeyong’s head whipped over to Taeil when he heard the vampire’s name, and the broken, glassy look of his eyes hurt Taeil more than any physical wound. He tore his eyes from Taeyong’s and looked back to Donghyuck.

 

“Tell me, Hansol-ssi,” Taeil said, his voice ringing clear in the room despite the shallowness of his breathing. “Why do you pretend that you don’t recognize me?” Hansol stopped sipping his drink, his arm frozen in midair. “I saw the recognition in your eyes when you saw my face. Don’t try to lie to me. Why do you pretend?”

 

“Why would I want to remember my past life, Taeil-ssi?” Hansol asked back, a knowing solemnity to his tone. “If you knew me as I knew you, then you’re well aware why I wouldn’t want to remember the life I lived as a mortal.” Taeil waited a bit before speaking, weighing his words in his mind.

 

“Would you forget your own brothers that easily, Hansol-ssi?”

 

Those words struck a nerve in him. “This isn’t about my brothers, Taeil-ssi,” he said stiffly. “It’s about you killing one of my children.”

 

“And this isn’t about one of your children, Hansol-ssi. This is about you letting your anger cloud your judgment and morals.” Taeil raised his hand, and Donghyuck took his cue.

 

* * *

 

_“Donghyuck-ah, can I speak to you,” Taeil called from the kitchen. They were still waiting for Dongyoung and Yoonoh to arrive, and he wanted to discuss something with Donghyuck. An answer came quickly, and Donghyuck entered alone, a confused look on his face._

 

_“What is it Taeil-hyung?”_

 

_“What would you be willing to do for Taeyong’s safe return, Donghyuck-ah?” The mortal was about to joke and brush off Taeil’s question, but the look in his eyes made him rethink._

 

_“Truthfully? I would die if it meant that Taeyong would return safely, although I’m sure he wouldn’t appreciate that mindset.”_

 

_“If it came down to it, would you do it? Die for his safety?”_

 

_“Yes?” It came out in a more questioning tone. “Taeil-hyung, where are you going with this?”_

 

_“You might have to die, Donghyuck-ah. I’ve been planning on how to ensure everyone makes it out of this situation alive, but in the all the ones I imagine, Taeyong or another vampire important to me is a casualty. Neither of those are acceptable options. However, if a mortal were to die, a mortal whom we could potentially still save, then maybe everything will work out.” Taeil looked Donghyuck right in the eye. “I hesitate to ask this of you, Donghyuck-ah, because no one would willingly want to die, but this is the only option I see. Are you willing to consider my proposal?”_

 

_There was a conflict in Donghyuck’s mind. On the one hand, of course he didn’t want to die. There were so many things he wouldn’t be able to do, so many things he wouldn’t ever have the opportunity to experience. But on the other hand, this was Taeyong. His brother, who despite all the pain he put him through, never gave up on trying to teach Donghyuck the right moves to a choreography and didn’t allow their father’s words to hurt him. And it was suddenly clear that his fear of death held nothing over his love for Taeyong. “What are you planning?”_

 

_“First, I,” Taeil hesitated, not wanting to reveal who the rogue was but also knowing that it was essential that Donghyuck was aware so that he wouldn’t stare at him like a deer in headlights. “I need to tell you who the rogue is, and you might not like my answer.”_

 

_Donghyuck frowned. “That’s a little ominous, hyung. What do you mean?”_

 

_“The rogue is Hansol. Hansol as in Ji Hansol, your supposedly dead brother.” And then the shock that Taeil knew would hit him settled over Donghyuck, and he almost collapsed for the second time in an hour. Taeil grabbed his arms in time to prevent that and led him to a chair. He nervously glanced between Donghyuck’s face, the clock, and the door. “I know this is a lot to take in, the fact that your brother is alive, the fact that he kidnapped Taeyong, and the fact that he is the rogue, but I need you to pull it together right now, Donghyuck-ah.”_

 

_“Yeah,” he said faintly, nodding his head like his brain was struggling to slowly process information. “Just give me a moment.”_

 

_“I’m afraid we don’t even have that long,” Taeil admitted, sparing the clock another look. “Are you with me, Donghyuck-ah?”_

 

_“Yeah, I am.” Taeil wasn’t fully sure if Donghyuck was telling the truth, but he’d take it._

 

_“Hansol is the rogue, but I’m not sure how much he remembers from being a mortal. The turning process isn’t always kind to those who go through it. But if he does remember you and Taeyong, he won’t hurt you. This is aimed at me, for whatever reason he hates me for.”_

 

_“Ok, but what am I supposed to do?”_

 

_“You’re going to need to give Hansol a false sense of security. He needs to believe that he has the upper hand, that he could potentially exact his revenge on me without hurting either of you. But that’s where the hard part comes in.” Taeil grabbed Donghyuck’s shoulders. “You can refuse this, Donghyuck-ah. You don’t need to go through with my plan.”_

 

_“I want to make sure Taeyong-hyung is safe, Taeil-hyung. If this is how I ensure, then so be it.”_

 

_“I’m going to give you a signal, most likely by raising my hand in your direction. When that happens, you’ll have to critically wound yourself. Hansol will be too shocked to attempt anything at first, and that’s what we’ll need. But I can save you afterward. Donghyuck-ah, do I have your permission to turn you if it comes to that point?” Donghyuck swallowed drily as he took all of this in. The plan was asking a lot of him – it was asking for him to sacrifice himself, for god’s sake – but if this was his only chance of seeing Taeyong come out of it alive –_

 

_“– I’ll do it,” he said shakily. “I’ll sacrifice myself, and I will allow you to turn me.”_

 

_“Do you know what you’re agreeing to?” Taeil asked softly, trying to make sure that Donghyuck was aware of the severity of his agreement._

 

_“I’m going to die for Taeyong-hyung. I’m sure my pain will be nothing compared to my grief if he were to die.”_

 

_“Then make a scene for now. Convince everyone that you’re so upset at being unable to come with us that they won’t try to force you to come out of the room. Sneak out and hide in one of the two cars that we’ll be taking and make sure no one catches you. When we get there, find a way to sneak out and then get caught by Hansol’s children and followers. I’ll find you after that; he won’t resist showing you off as a hostage so that I don’t try anything. Good luck, Donghyuck-ah.”_

 

* * *

 

Donghyuck scrambled out of the grip of the vampire holding him, who clearly hadn’t expected him to try and fight her. Taeil watched motionlessly as he took her hand – the one holding the knife – and drove it into his heart, the only sound in the room being his harsh breathing as he ripped the knife out of his body and fell limply onto the floor. And then came Taeyong’s screams, of pain, shock, and loss, and Taeil knew he would have nightmares about this moment for weeks to come. But he couldn’t allow what Donghyuck had done to go to waste, and so he got to work.

 

He knew Kun and Yuta would have been able to hear Taeyong’s crying, so he immediately dropped down and swung his leg around to knock Hansol off his feet. He fell with a resounding thud on the floor, and Taeil switched his attention to the other vampire in the room. She was staring in shock at the bloody knife in her hand, and the dying mortal at her feet, but when she saw Hansol struggling to get up, she seemed to gather herself and went to attack Taeil. He grimaced, using his forearm to deflect the arm with the knife, then grabbing her wrist to spin himself around. Taeil pulled her arm straight and used his elbow to put pressure on her own, cracking the joint with minimal effort. She howled in pain, cradling her injured dominant hand, and Taeil finished the job by roughly kicking one of her legs in and breaking the knee joint. Taeyong was no longer in his line of sight, and Taeil realized he still had to save Donghyuck. The others had arrived, as had the rest of Hansol’s children. Taeil made a split second decision and crouched down by Donghyuck.

 

“Donghyuck-ah, I’m going to turn you now. I think Taeyong’s okay right now, so please focus on that. This will hurt immensely,” Taeil instructed. He checked for Donghyuck’s pulse, trying to determine if he had lost enough blood to begin the second step of the process. His heartbeat wasn’t slow enough yet, he noticed, and with a swift apology, Taeil made a cut in Donghyuck’s carotid artery and began to drink his blood. The taste of death filled his mouth, and Taeil’s urge to gag intensified. He drank as much as he could stomach before it became too much and he had to pull himself away. He checked his pulse again, thankful that it was significantly lower than before, and cut his wrist deeply enough to get the blood flowing out of it in a steady stream.

 

“Donghyuck-ah, open your mouth. You need to drink my blood to complete the process.” Weakly, Donghyuck lifted his head up to reach Taeil’s wrist, and he only got a few droplets in his mouth before his head fell back again. Taeil sighed; Donghyuck had completed the process, so the turning would soon take effect. He looked up, taking in the current situation. And the fact that Taeyong was now holding a gun to his own head.

 

“Taeyong!” Taeil cried, and it alerted everyone else to look at the mortal. Almost as if a switch had been flicked, everyone stopped and turned to stare at him. Tears could be seen in the corners of Taeyong’s eyes, but he didn’t bother to wipe them away. Yuta, who had been grappling with Hansol while trying to talk some sense into him, let his ex-boyfriend slip out of his grip to get closer to Taeyong.

 

“Taeyong-ah, what are you doing?” Johnny called out nervously. In the silence that awaited Taeyong’s answer, Taeil could only hear his own shallow breaths.

 

“Threatening to kill myself, what does it look like I’m doing, Johnny-hyung?” he replied sarcastically, the bite in his voice feeling like a physical blow.

 

“Take a moment to think –,”

 

“– Think about what, hyung? Think about the fact that the only brother I had left just killed himself?” He laughed, but it sounded maniacal, hysteric.

 

And although Hansol had just spent the last few hours trying to make sure that he would avenge Seongmin’s death, seeing his younger brother, the young man he remembered almost raising on his own, prepared to take his own life, he couldn’t go through with his own agenda. And in his desperation, he let slip his own term of endearment. “Yongie, please don’t do this.”

 

Taeyong’s gaze focused on the masked rogue like a laser. “Who are you to call me that?” he hissed, his face closed off to any expression other than a simmering anger. Hansol hesitated, opening his mouth and suddenly losing courage. “Who are you to call me that?” he repeated in the same tone. The rogue reached up to undo the knot keeping his mask in place. His head remained bowed until he had pulled the mask away from his face.

 

“Yongie, please put the gun down,” Hansol pleaded. Out of shock and disbelief, the gun slipped from Taeyong’s hand and clattered on the ground.

 

“I- How are you alive?” he asked, the tears falling for a different reason now. “Why did you do all of this? Why didn’t you come back to us, tell us you were okay, why did you make us believe you were dead while you went around turning random people?” His questions had turned into shouts, cries of betrayal. All the memories he’d tried to keep in the past came back to him: when the police first revealed they had no clues to work from, when his father finally decided he wasn’t going to wait for a dead son, when he got appointed as the new heir of the company and was forced to give up dancing altogether. The funeral they’d held still haunted the back of his mind, how the empty and closed casket was a reminder that they had lost Hansol. “Do you know how much pain you put us through?” Before Hansol could respond, a new noise interrupted him. The sound of a gunshot rang throughout the room, and no one needed to see the blood blossoming against Taeyong's chest to know the bullet had been for him.

 

For Taeyong, everything suddenly seemed more viscous, like he was trying to push through water. He saw the terror and fury fight across Taeil’s face through his blurry vision, and he saw his eyes already taking on their golden glow. The pain in his chest was numb at the moment, but Taeyong knew why breathing was becoming a more and more difficult task for him.

 

Hansol reached him first, immediately checking the area around the bullet wound to assess the damage.

 

“Lung,” was all Taeyong could manage to choke out. The following cough was unsurprisingly full of blood, and the action made his throat feel like it was being torn apart. He looked up at Hansol and tried to let go of the anger he had just felt towards him.

 

“I can't lose you, Yong-ah, not when you’re right in front of me and dying. Please, please let me turn you.” His distress was palpable in his frantic motions. Taeil was long gone, a golden-eyed avenger. Taeyong wasn’t sure he wanted to know the fate of his killer. “Yong-ah, please answer me.” He thought about the way he had felt during Hansol’s pseudo-funeral and made up his mind.

 

“Okay,” he said, hoping he wouldn’t regret giving Hansol this second chance. Maybe the lightheadedness was what was letting him make these questionable decisions. Maybe it was Donghyuck’s death that was making him unwilling to let go of Hansol if he had the chance to keep him. Maybe Taeyong was being far too naive. “Turn me.” And Taeyong conveniently passed out.

 

Taeil wasn’t entirely sure how his fear had so quickly transformed into a cold anger, condensed and solidified into a pit lodged in his heart. All he was aware of was the instinctive urge to kill, to rip apart whoever had hurt Taeyong until their body parts could be hung like streamers on the chandelier in the room that Taeyong was dying in. The room you left him dying in, his thoughts whispered accusingly. He tried not to think too hard about that.

 

As much as he would love to detach himself from this kill like he had with Seongmin, Taeil couldn’t let himself. This wasn’t the same situation, not one that he’d done on a whim, but one that had a reason. This vampire, most likely a follower of Hansol’s, had attempted to take the life of one of the people he held closest to his heart. He would kill them slowly, painfully, as they deserved. And he would do it all while he was in his conscious mind.

 

It didn’t take all that long for him to find the vampire. They weren’t stealthy, and Taeil’s enhanced senses were easily able to detect the runaway from three halls over. He slowed down considerably from his initial running speed and walked calmly as he approached the killer, making sure that his heels made plenty of noise to alert them he was there. In a sadistic sort of way, when Taeil made a kill, he enjoyed the panic he could smell from his victim. Loved the superiority it gave him. The knowledge that he was the stronger one, could play with his unfortunate target as much as he wished because, in the end, he was the only one victorious.

 

There was a spike in their scent; they must have thought that they had a plan, either a way to attack him or to escape. Taeil tutted loudly and rounded the corner to come face to face with the vampire. He hated the fact that he was taller than him, and like a viper snatched at the vampire’s shirt collar to pull him down to meet his eyes. He saw his own reflection in the perpetrator's eyes, and a wicked smile crossed his face.

 

“I think I’ll enjoy tearing you apart,” he said with a lilting tone a small head tilt to accent his point. And then there were screams. Blood splattered on Taeil’s suit, and he looked down at his shirt in disgust.

 

“I don’t suppose you have the decency to die a cleaner death,” he snarled, ripping his hand out from the vampire’s stomach and shoving his back. He staggered for a moment, the adrenalin lending strength to his legs for only a short moment before he collapsed. Taeil watched him coldly, coming forward to step on the wound he had created and dug his heel into it to make the vampire scream again. “Don’t be expecting some sort of mercy from me. You’re vermin, unfit to be the dirt under my shoe.” The vampire whimpered, slowly becoming used to the pain of Taeil’s weight on his wound. He stepped off only to pull the vampire back to his feet and violently smash his face into a nearby table. He didn’t waste any more breath by speaking, simply allowing his anger to take him where it wished – as long as it was still he himself who had control.

 

At some point, the screaming stopped and the body that he had been flinging around went limp for the last time. Taeil glanced around at the walls, his expression unchanging when he saw how bloody they were. It was of no loss to him, anyhow. He frowned at the vampire’s mangled remains and sighed, grabbing the corpse by the head and dragging it to the room he had left the others in. It left a long trail of body parts behind, but Taeil couldn’t be bothered to try and pick up after the dead vampire. Not when he would be throwing the rest of his body to hang on the chandelier.

 

When he reentered the room, everyone was cleaning up the mess they’d made. Yoonoh had called Mark and asked him to bring two more cars for the vampires they would be bringing in to dispose of. Xuxi and Jungwoo were individually carrying the dead vampires to the cars, while Yuta had helped Hansol to one of their own cars. Johnny had taken Donghyuck while Dongyoung had carried Taeyong away, Kun reported to him, and Taeil felt that sharp pain in his heart again.

  
“When will the funeral be held?” he asked, trying to separate his emotions from the business at hand. Kun looked at him oddly.

 

“What do you mean? Hansol turned Taeyong so that he wouldn’t die.” Taeil froze. “Before you ask, yes, he did ask for Taeyong’s consent, and he did say Hansol could do it, although I’m not entirely sure how much worth to place in that. Be careful around him when he wakes up, okay Taeil-gē?” He nodded absently. That was quite the bombshell, he thought to himself while stringing the dead vampire’s body into the chandelier. Quite the bombshell indeed, he thought as he and Kun left the room, blood dripping from the vampire’s body and onto the floor below it.

 

The waiting game that Taeil had to play afterward was stressful. They had placed Donghyuck and Taeyong’s recovering bodies in separate rooms, and since he felt obligated to be near Donghyuck as his sire, Taeil worried about one of the two waking up while he was with the other. And to add on to his worries, the others were wary of Hansol, and they had every right to feel that way. Hansol had been the rogue they had been trying to capture for the past week, and to have him so comfortably in the house was jarring. It was tense at the same time, because Hansol was still clearly upset with Yuta for what he had done in the past, and by association, Taeil and Kun. Which meant if Hansol was sitting by Taeyong, Taeil had to be by Donghyuck.

 

It was his luck, he supposed, that he had been in Taeyong’s room when he woke up.

 

* * *

 

When Taeyong woke up, it was groggily and with the full intent to fall asleep after checking the time. His head felt like it was full of cotton, and every movement was a struggle to finish. He almost fell asleep multiple times in the process of opening his eyes. When he finally did manage to keep them open for more than two seconds, he looked around for a clock, and he almost missed Taeil in the corner sleeping in an armchair. He looked so small, curled up in between the wide armrests, that Taeyong couldn’t help but coo at the sight. He shifted himself up onto one arm to look at him more clearly, but a sudden stab of pain in his chest made him groan loudly and fall back on the mattress. The noise alerted Taeil, who startled awake and whipped his head around in confusion before noticing that Taeyong was awake, blearily blinking his eyes from both pain and sleep. And it took him another few moments to process that Taeyong was actually awake.

 

“You’re awake,” he whispered, staring at Taeyong before jumping out of the armchair and running towards the bed. “Oh gods, you’re awake, you’re alright. Do you remember me?” Taeil asked worriedly, and Taeyong frowned.

 

“Of course I remember you, Taeil. Why wouldn’t I?”

 

“Taeyong,” he hesitated the smallest moment before continuing, “What’s the last thing you remember?”

 

“I remember you saying that you, Kun, Sicheng, and Johnny would be investigating a new rogue victim. Why?” Taeil’s face fell as Taeyong spoke, and he resorted to biting his lip nervously.

 

“That’s not all that happened, Taeyong. But I don’t think now is the best time to explain everything to you. All you should be aware of is that you’re no longer mortal, and neither is Donghyuck.”

 

“Wait, what happened to Hyuckie?” Taeyong suddenly questioned, rising onto his elbows. “And what do you mean we’re no longer human? What happened to us, Taeil?” Taeyong was so confused; he tried to rack his brain for any sort of recollection of what could have happened, but nothing came to mind.

 

“Taeyong, please calm down for a moment,” Taeil said, pushing lightly on his shoulders so that he would lower himself into his back. “I don’t think there’s an easy way to say this, but –,”

 

“Taeil-hyung, Donghyuck-ah is awake!” Jisung shouted after throwing the door open in his excitement. His waving arms froze when he saw Taeyong, but they started again with renewed vigor. “Taeyong-hyung, you’re awake too!”

 

“What’s going on?” Taeyong asked again, looking between Jisung and Taeil wildly. Taeil ignored him to address Jisung.

 

“I’ll head over there now. Could you send Hansol here?” Jisung’s expression closed off at the mention of that name, and Taeyong flinched when he remembered who that was. It still hurt to think about him, even though the funeral had been over a year ago. Taeil noticed his reaction and gave him a worried look. “Do you remember him, Taeyong?”

 

“You’re probably talking about a different Hansol, it’s fine,” he muttered, staring at the blanket he was under. He heard Taeil sigh, but he didn’t look up.

 

“No, I’m not. Hansol is alive, Taeyong. He was the one who turned you.” It took Taeyong time to think about what Taeil had told him, but when he finally understood, his head jerked up and he was poised to ask question after question.

 

“Taeil-hyung, I’m going to go get Hansol-ssi,” Jisung called before leaving as quickly as he had entered, the tornado of energy he brought with him passing by. Taeil straightened up to follow after him, but Taeyong’s hand found his own, and he stopped.

 

“I don’t understand,” Taeyong whispered, searching Taeil’s eyes for some sort of clue as to what was going on. Taeil’s heart ached knowing that he couldn’t be the one to explain it to him.

 

“I should let Hansol tell you,” he said reluctantly, gently prying Taeyong’s finger from his hand. “I’m sorry, flower,” he mumbled, giving Taeyong’s fingertips a quick kiss before leaving to check on Donghyuck. Taeyong was left to stare at his fingers alone, a blush coming to his cheeks unbidden. They hadn’t talked about their relationship at all, as far as he knew, so this came as a surprise to him. Something must have happened – something to do with Hansol. And like the phrase, speak of the devil and he shall appear, Hansol showed up in the doorway, looking worse for wear but _alive_. Taeyong felt the tears well up in his eyes, but he was so overwhelmed by the fact that his brother was alive, standing right before him, that he couldn’t bring himself to care about how puffy his eyes would be later.

 

“Yongie,” Hansol said tentatively, almost as if he was asking for permission to call Taeyong that. He wiped away his tears roughly before opening his arms as an invitation for a hug.

 

“I missed you, hyung.” It felt like home again when he was in Hansol’s arms; almost like his mother had never died, like he and Hansol and Donghyuck were still children who played harmless pranks on each other, like his father still cared about them. Taeyong started crying openly into Hansol’s shoulder, the emotions he’d been feeling becoming too much to hold in, and Hansol rubbed his back reassuringly, whispers of comfort being said into his ear. When Taeyong finally felt like he could look at Hansol without losing his composure too much, his eyes were rimmed with a red rawness and his mouth tasted salty from his tears.

 

“Tell me what happened,” he demanded, gripping Hansol’s arms like they were lifelines. “How are you alive? How are you here?”

 

“Okay, okay,” Hansol murmured soothingly. He took a seat on the bed and licked his lips nervously. It had been a long time since he’d remembered the night he’d been turned. “When I disappeared – almost two years ago was it? – I was leaving the company building to come back home. I hadn’t expected anyone to be around at that time, but… I was severely incorrect. I could tell you exactly how everything happened, down to the type of clothes my attacker had been wearing, but it doesn’t matter anymore. She turned me, made me a vampire, and after the turning I was too weak to do anything.

 

“Perhaps it makes me unfortunate, but I clearly remember everything that happened up until my turning. I remembered you, Donghyuck, and abeoji very well, but my dame told me that I could never go back to my old life. That because I was a vampire, I could never hold a position in the human’s society. At some points, I tried to defy her simply because I resented her for what she had done to me. For almost a year, I attempted to starve myself. I refused to drink blood, and I let myself waste away. But my dame continually forced me to drink it, and I had wasted away so much by then that I didn’t even give any resistance.

 

“About a year ago, I’d had enough. I finally started to take care of myself, and when I had gained the sufficient strength, I killed her. I was her only child, and it wasn’t too much of a loss to anyone else who knew her. From there, I,” Hansol’s story paused. “I’m not too proud of what I did. I was so lost in the anger I had for my dame and what she had done to me that I started creating my own house. Most of them are probably dead now from what I’ve seen Taeil-ssi do,” Hansol said, and his tone was a tinge bitter. “That’s what must have given me the reputation of being a rogue. I turned anyone; it didn’t matter to me, only that they contributed to my growing numbers. My children never crossed me, but I never disciplined them for their kills. That’s what gave me away in the end.”

 

“What did Taeil mean when he said you turned me?” Taeyong asked, a rather innocent question, but it made Hansol stiffen regardless.

 

“I’m not proud of that either,” he muttered. “Taeil killed one of my oldest children, Seongmin. I never found out why, but I had to avenge him somehow. I sent out a follower, another vampire who wanted to help me take down the Elder, but they brought you back. I didn’t have the option to take you back, so I could only hope that you wouldn’t be hurt in the process of my revenge. And then Donghyuck got involved.”

 

Hansol’s voice cracked. “He killed himself, but it was all staged. Taeil-ssi knew, had let it happen, and then turned Donghyuck to make sure he wouldn’t truly die. You threatened to kill yourself after that, but a different vampire killed you instead, and after seeing Donghyuck sacrifice himself – I couldn’t let you die, Yongie. I couldn’t do that.” Hansol was crying now, but Taeyong didn’t think he’d noticed. He was too caught up in the story to realize. “I asked you if I could turn you, and even though you said yes, I’m afraid, Yongie. I’m afraid that you regret it now or that you hate me for it.” There was silence, punctuated only by the occasional sniffle, as Taeyong thought about what he’d learned. Thought about how Taeil’s role in all of this, the mysterious vampire that he’d gotten so close to.

 

“What did you mean by Elder?”

 

“From what I’ve learned, an Elder is an ancient vampire. They hold a power unimaginable, and they are the undisputed leaders. Moon Taeil is one of them. As is Nakamoto Yuta.” He added the last sentence after pausing to think. Taeyong nodded along thoughtfully, wrapping his head around the fact that Taeil hadn’t quite been honest about everything.

 

* * *

 

“Donghyuck-ah, how are you?” Donghyuck watched Taeil enter the room to join Jisung and Jaemin with a pained grimace.

 

“I feel like there’s a needle in my heart and it won’t fucking go away,” he groaned, flopping back into the pillows supporting him. Taeil winced at his statement and came to sit beside him.

 

“Do you remember why it feels like?” The room seemed to hold its breath while waiting for Donghyuck’s answer.

 

“Of course I do, Taeil-hyung,” he said with a frown. “That’s a pretty silly question since I literally died for Taeyong-hyung.”

 

The sharp breath that Taeil took contrasted sharply with the relief he felt inside. “You don’t regret it?” he asked softly.

 

“Of course not.” The resoluteness with which Donghyuck spoke allowed Taeil to relax, and he glanced over to his other children.

 

“If Dongyoung was here, we’d have a whole family party,” Jaemin piped up with a grin that showed off his teeth. Inexplicably, Taeil felt a strong urge of affection for all of his children.

 

“Dongyoung’s missing out because all of you are getting a hug from me,” Taeil declared, motioning for both Jaemin and Jisung to get closer to the bed. Donghyuck leaned in when Taeil looked at him pointedly, and he gathered them all together in his arms. He held them for a few seconds before a throat cleared loudly behind them and made them break apart to see who had shown up. Dongyoung stood in the doorway, a small pout on his lips.

 

“Why don’t I get a hug?” he complained, crossing his arms childishly and even stomping his foot lightly to push his point across. Taeil laughed and gestured for Dongyoung to come closer.

 

“Fine you big baby, come here, you can get your own hug,” he compromised with a knowing smirk on his face. He’d sensed Dongyoung outside already and had been specifically aiming to make him jealous. And he knew his children well enough to be sure that his plan would work. When Dongyoung had finally had enough and let go, Taeil didn’t hesitate to relentlessly tease him about how much time he had spent with Yoonoh at his house. Jisung and Jaemin chimed in with their own observations while Donghyuck sat back, absorbing the information he was hearing about his new brother. Dongyoung’s blush only got more intense, and when Taeil finally decided he’d done enough damage, his cheeks looked like two cherries. The sight made Donghyuck snicker under his breath, and Jisung giggled with him while Jaemin grinned widely. Their laughter at his misery made Dongyoung whine more and complain about the lack of respect, but the look in his eyes meant he took no offense. Through all of their antics, Taeil had been able to forget a little bit of his worry for Taeyong, but when he sensed Hansol approach Donghyuck’s room, he tensed up. Donghyuck’s expression dampened a bit at seeing Hansol, and that made the other three look over as well. Taeil sighed and stood up.

 

“Taeyong wants to talk to me?” he asked, because there was no way Hansol would have returned if it hadn’t been at Taeyong’s explicit request. Hansol owed Donghyuck an explanation, so Taeil used his head to point the rest of his children outside. They filed out, each giving their own cautious glance at Hansol as they did so. On his way out, Taeil directed a single statement to Hansol, not staying around to see what his response was.

 

“You can’t keep ignoring Yuta’s existence, so you’ll have to talk to him soon.”

 

“Dongyoung-hyung, will you be returning with Yoonoh-hyung?” Jaemin asked curiously, and Taeil paused before heading to Taeyong’s room to listen to them. Jisung had walked off, presumably to mess around with Chenle. He didn’t think Renjun would be all too happy to have Chenle’s attention taken from him.

 

“I don’t think so, Jaemin-ah,” Dongyoung said regretfully. “Johnny-hyung asked me to stay behind to help with a few financial issues that popped up in the corporation’s database.”

 

“He’s still looking at those?” Taeil’s tone was pleasantly surprised. Dongyoung rolled his eyes playfully.

 

“Johnny-hyung never stops working, Taeil-hyung, you should know. Ten-hyung is always complaining about it.”

 

“Taeil-hyung, can I go with Yoonoh-hyung this time?” Jaemin turned to Taeil with the brightest smile he could muster, as if he knew that the more charm he put in, the more likely Taeil was to answer his demands. Taeil hated how weak he was for his second oldest child.

 

“I’ll talk to Yoonoh about it,” Taeil sighed, although Jaemin’s loud cheers seemed to ignore the fact that his answer was a ‘maybe’. “Don’t get too excited, Jaemin-ah, he might not want another person to look after.”

 

“Jeno and Jungwoo-hyung would be happy to protect me, hyung,” he replied with a toothy smile and a wave as he started towards the front of the house, Dongyoung in tow. “Bye, hyung, good luck!” He watched them leave, a bittersweet smile resting on his own face. He would need all that luck. The walk to Taeyong’s room, one that had seemed so long when he had left, now seemed to pass in a blur – although time had always more often than not been a blur to him. He was surprised he had kept track of these past few days as well as he had. He knocked on the door even though it was open to signal his arrival, and Taeyong looked up at him with a blank expression.

 

“Hello, flower,” he murmured, entering and heading for the armchair. He was about to pull it closer to the bed when Taeyong interrupted him.

 

“You can sit on the bed.” He slowly let go of the armrest and straightened up.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Why are you talking like you’re walking on eggshells around me, Taeil?” Taeyong asked. The frown on his face pulled his mouth down, and he tilted his head quizzically.

 

“You sent Hansol away because you wanted to speak to me. It must be important.”

 

It takes Taeyong a while to speak again. “I understand why you never said anything about being a vampire… before. But I want to know who you are, Taeil. What exactly all of this is that I’ve been thrown into.”

 

“That’s quite a bit of history you’re asking for,” Taeil said, finally taking a seat on the bed, facing the same way as Taeyong. “Alright. I’ll explain who I am.

 

“When I was mortal, I lived my life as one of the commanders in the Gojoseon army, although back then it was only known as Joseon. I don’t remember the circumstances of my death very well, but I know it happened in battle. Neither do I remember how I became a vampire, given that I was dead until I woke up like this.” He said that with a certain distaste in his voice.

 

“There was a lot of lore about the origin of vampires, although no confirmed knowledge that they existed. Simply speculations. The closest I could make of my situation, it was either because I didn’t have a proper burial or an animal jumped over my corpse. I wandered the empire for a long time, unsure what to do. Because on one hand, I knew I wasn’t supposed to be alive, and on the other, I wanted so badly to pretend nothing had happened. But I quickly realized I wouldn’t age, and my cravings were only ever satisfied by the blood I could smell in the mortals around me.

 

“Nothing too bad happened for the next thousand years or so. I lived, in a sense, like a nomad. I would choose one village to live in for a few years, and then I would uproot myself and start again. It went on like this smoothly, but you know how everything always has an end. An incident happened, one that I don’t remember but left me shaken for centuries to come. I realized there was something intrinsically wrong with me. I had this… I still don’t know how to explain it, but it’s almost as if there’s someone else in me. Like a voice whispering to me that I should kill, destroy, that my true purpose lies in chaos. But normally that voice is muted, and I easily ignore it. When I get mad, that’s when it starts to impact me, to lure me down a different path. That’s what I call the Elder – the other part of me that is from something so ancient that only the oldest of us, the original vampires, are able to access.

 

“I found out about my power as an Elder when I wiped out almost a whole village in anger. What I was angry about, I couldn’t tell you if you asked, but it was enough for me to lose all sense of my mind. Almost a whole village,” he choked out through gritted teeth, his fist clenching the blankets to ground himself. Taeyong carefully pried his fingers away from the fabric and slipped his own fingers into the spaces of Taeil’s hand, acutely aware of his distress at the moment. “Gone because I couldn’t control myself,” he continued. “I was horrified, because up until that point I was able to live with a relative normalcy. Afterward, I couldn’t look at my hands without being reminded of what they had done. I closed myself off for a few hundred years, taught myself how to keep my anger from taking control of me like it had then.

 

“I met Johnny on accident during this time. He used to be a merchant, and he stumbled across my hut in the middle of nowhere on an accident. I was cold to him, refused to speak to him out of fear that I hadn’t disciplined myself well enough. He left soon after he arrived, but I met him again another hundred years later. I was in a coastal town at the time, and during a festival, he came to town to sell his wares. I recognized him, and the fact that he hadn’t changed a bit. When I confronted him about it, he was a little shocked by my accusations, but at the same time, he couldn’t deny it. Over time, we met up in more and more towns and slowly became closer by sharing our stories.

 

“Johnny was my first friend in my ever-changing world, and after so long being alone, so it hurt more than usual when he would travel the known world to continue his trade. That’s how I came to know Ten as well – through Johnny’s adventures, he found Ten, another vampire, and brought him back to introduce us. Our first meeting was… rough to say the least. I was irrationally upset that Ten would take Johnny away from me, because you would have to be truly oblivious to ignore the looks they gave each other. There’s still a lot to say, so I’ll end this part of my life with the simple conclusion that I grew used to Ten’s company.

 

“Yoonoh was my second friend. Sometime during Johnny’s travels, I found him, and we became close friends since we didn’t really have anyone else. Another two thousand years pass. I met the other Elders, once again through Johnny's travels, and we created the Council of Elders. My first child was Dongyoung, and while his story is interesting, I’ll tell you some other time. Jaemin is my second child, a mere 638 years old, and Jisung is my third child, and he’s still getting accustomed to being a vampire since he’s only 275 years old. And throughout this whole time, I hadn’t lost control once. When Jisung was 197, there was a plot against me for my position. They,” his hand tightened around Taeyong’s, his eyes set straight ahead. “They used Jaemin against me. I got impatient. I entered alone, lost control, killed everyone inside except Jaemin, and it took me fifty years to allow him to leave the house to walk the grounds because all I could think was that I wouldn’t be able to take it if he got kidnapped again.

 

“And now that I truly think about it, it’s my fault that you and Donghyuck-ah had to be turned. If I hadn’t been so hasty, maybe I wouldn’t have let the Elder kill Seongmin, and then Hansol wouldn’t have had a reason to kidnap you. We could have still found the rogue, and Hansol might still have everything he worked for.” Taeil finished with a heavy exhale, suddenly completely and utterly exhausted by everything he had said. He sagged into the pillows on the bed and tilted his face toward the ceiling. He couldn’t bear to look at Taeyong’s face, afraid of what he might see. That maybe Taeyong would be upset with him, would hate him for what he’d done. But to his surprise, Taeyong only leaned his head on his shoulder, and they sat in silence. He missed Taeyong’s scent.

 

“I don't blame you,” he said softly. “You can't help how protective you are.”

 

“Perhaps. But I shouldn't have, because now you're stuck as a vampire for the rest of your foreseeable life.”

 

“Maybe it won’t be so bad if I spend it with you.”

 

* * *

 

“Is he here yet?” Johnny asked Chittaphon through the walkie talkie they were using.

 

“Not yet,” he responded, eyeing the road through a gap in the bushes he was in. “Jisung said they would be arriving soon, though.”

 

“Taeil is getting antsy,” his partner complained, and Chittaphon rolled his eyes.

 

“Wait!” he said suddenly, breaking Johnny’s rants. “I see them coming!”

 

“Fan-fucking-tastic!” Johnny cried, relaying the news to Taeil before leaving him alone to finish any final preparations.

 

“Why did Taeil call me here?” Taeyong asked as Jisung brought him to an opening in the trees.

 

“You’re smart, Taeyong-ah, you should be able to figure it out.”

 

“It’s so weird to hear you call me Taeyong-ah when you look like a 16-year-old.” Jisung laughed at Taeyong's discomfort.

 

“You’ll have to get used to being one of the youngest of us.” He stopped in front of the path and motioned for Taeyong to continue without him. “Taeil-hyung will be waiting for you down there. Enjoy!”

 

The path itself wasn't much different from the larger ones throughout the park, but as it sloped downwards, Taeyong saw a small lake emerge from in between the trees. He grinned as he started to piece together Taeil’s plan. When he stepped out into the clearing in front of the lake, he wasn’t too surprised to see Taeil sitting on a solid navy blue blanket about fifteen feet from the shore with a picnic basket at his side and flower petals scattered around.

 

“You’re such a sap,” he joked fondly, taking a seat beside Taeil and giving him a soft kiss as a greeting.

 

“You should be used to it, flower,” Taeil said with equal adoration. Taeyong hummed and ran his hand through the petals around them.

 

“Mind explaining what these are for?”

 

“To set the mood of course.” Taeyong snorted.

 

“What sort of mood would that be? Wouldn’t roses and a different setting better suit your mood-making intentions?”

 

Taeil smiled cheekily, a playful glint in his eyes. “No, gardenias and an innocent picnic suit me just fine.”

**Author's Note:**

> ah, i hope you guys enjoyed the thrill! a special thanks to my beta/editor, ves. another special thanks to nellie. and a final thanks to all of you for reading!


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